Fig. 3: Combination of cisplatin and derivatives of artemisinin demonstrate beneficial effects.

The large variance of tumor proliferation upon cisplatin is diminished by artemisinin derivatives, while tumor apoptosis increases after combinatory administration of cisplatin and DHA (N = 6, A). Representative pictures are shown, demonstrating the massive increase of apoptotic cell bodies in HE and the reduction of Ki67 positive staining in combined treatment conditions. (Bars = 50 µm, B). Tumor fraction (TF), tumor apoptosis (TA), and proliferation (TP) were combined into one final tumor vitality score (TVS), showing the efficacy of the combinatory treatment against cisplatin in LUSC (LUAD: N = 3, LUSC: N = 4, C) The median of each condition is indicated. (++Mann-Whitney U-test, p < 0.005 vs. CTR).