Fig. 4: QD-Cat-RGD-based RT for inhibiting tumor growth, relieving hypoxic conditions and decreasing immunosuppressive cells in the TME.

a Schematic showing the experiment using QD-Cat-RGD-based RT to treat mice bearing 4T1 tumors. BALB/c mice (n = 5 per group) were implanted subcutaneously with 7 × 10⁵ 4T1 mammary carcinoma cells in the right hind flanks. When the tumor volumes were 100 mm³, mice received different treatments. 4T1 tumors were harvested on day 14. b Tumor growth curves in different groups. Photographs of all tumors and tumor growth curves of tumors from individual mice are shown in Supplementary Fig. 10. c Histogram plot of tumor weight in different groups. d Body weight curve of different groups. e Representative flow cytometric analysis images of M2-like macrophages (CD206^high) and M1-like macrophages (CD80^high) gating on F4/80⁺CD11b⁺CD45⁺ cells. The relative quantification of M2-like macrophages and the ratio of M1/M2 macrophages. f Representative flow cytometric analysis images and relative quantification of Tregs (CD25⁺ and Foxp3⁺) gating on CD4⁺CD3⁺CD45⁺ cells. g Representative image of immunostaining of HIF-1α and relative quantification of the histoscore of immunostaining. Scale bars = 50 μm. The images of immunostaining (g) were representative of those generated from five mice each group. All data are presented as the mean ± s.e.m. (n = 5 per group) and n represents the number of independent animals. Statistical significance was calculated via one-way ANOVA with Tukey’s multiple comparisons test. Source data are provided as a Source Data file.