Figure 6

Effect of miR-218-5p overexpression on the gemcitabine sensitivity of GBC cells in vivo. (a) Tumor growth curves of NOZ cells transfected with miR-218-5p construct or empty vector treated with gemcitabine or saline in vivo. (b, c) Representative images and the mean tumor weight of the four paired groups formed at the 5th week after subcutaneous transplantation. (d–f) Semi-quantitative analyses of IHC results for PRKCE and P-gp expression, and percentage of apoptotic tumor cells from the four paired NOZ tumor xenografts. (g) Representative images of PRKCE and P-gp IHC staining, and TUNEL staining in paraffin sections from the four paired NOZ tumor xenografts (× 400). (h) Schematic representation of pathway modulated by miR-218-5p in GBC cells. Downregulation of miR-218-5p in GBC cells can elevate PRKCE expression. This increases the expression of MDR1/P-gp, resulting in gemcitabine resistance of GBC. All n=5; bar, S.E.M. NS, not significant, *P<0.05; ***P<0.001; Student’s t-test