Figure 2

Effects of hMSCs on tumour growth. (A) Representative whole-body bioluminescence images of nude mice bearing SC tumours after injection with 10⁶ TSA-pGL3 cells before hMSC treatment (day 7) and treated with hMSCs (5 × 10⁵ cells; SC or IV injection; day 14) or PBS (control) (n = 4 to 5 mice/group; representative data from one of three different experiments are shown). (B) Box plots of tumour growth in each group. Tumour growth rate was calculated as the ratio of the bioluminescence imaging values obtained at days 14 and 7 (D14/D7) after tumour cell inoculation. The results are expressed as the mean ± SD. ^*P <0.05. (C) The xenograft tumour volumes of the mice were determined at the indicated time points. hMSC were injected at day 7. Data are expressed as mean ± SD. ^# indicates P = 0.01 by Student's t test (control vs. hMSC SC); ^$ indicates P = 0.07 by Student's t test (control vs. hMSC IV). (D) Representative whole-body bioluminescence images of nude mice bearing lung tumours after IV injection with 10⁵ TSA-pGL3 cells and hMSC treatment (5 × 10⁵ cells; IV injection; hMSCs) or PBS (control) (n = 4 mice/group). (E) Box plots of bioluminescence imaging results obtained at day 10 after tumour cell inoculation. The results are expressed as the mean ± SD. ^*P <0.05. (F) Photographs of representative SC tumours stained with haematoxylin and a Ki67 antibody at day 14 and visualised at 200× magnification. (G) Box plots of Ki67⁺ proliferating tumour cells. The results are expressed as the mean ± SD (n = 6 to 9 photographs/tumour; five mice/group; ^***P <0.0001). hMSC, human mesenchymal stem cell; IV, intravenous; PBS, phosphate-buffered saline; SC, subcutaneous; SD, standard deviation; TSA-pGL3, TS/A-pc mouse adenocarcinoma cell line stably transfected with the luciferase reporter gene.