Figure 5.

Improvement in the In Vivo Efficacy of Gefitinib by miR-634 Ointment

(A) Experimental schedule for the application of miR-634 ointment and treatment with gefitinib. Mice were treated orally with vehicle (0.5% methylcellulose) or gefitinib (10 mg/kg) on days 3, 5, 7, and 9 after cell injection. At 9 days after the initial application, the mice were sacrificed, and the tumors were evaluated. (B) Representative images of subcutaneous tumors after 9 days of treatment. (C) Tumor volume in mice treated with vehicle + miR-NC ointment (n = 5), gefitinib + miR-NC ointment (n = 3), vehicle + miR-634 ointment (n = 5), or gefitinib + miR-634 ointment (n = 5). Error bars indicate the SD. Data are presented as mean ± SD. p values for the treatment with miR-634 ointment + gefitinib were calculated using two-way ANOVA (p = 0.043 for miR-NC ointment + gefitinib and p = 0.0005 for miR-634 ointment + vehicle). (D) The tumor weight in mice treated with miR-NC ointment or miR-634 ointment is presented in the scatterplot. p values were calculated using two-way ANOVA (∗p = 0.0092, ∗∗p = 0.043). (E) ISH analysis of miR-634 and IHC analysis of ASCT2 in resected tumors. The miR-634-specific probe appears purple in the cytoplasm, and the nucleus was counterstained with nuclear fast red. Scale bars, 50 μm. (F) Therapeutic potential of miR-634 ointment to improve the efficacy of EGFR inhibitors.