Fig. 5
Effect of α-melittin-NPs in a spontaneous metastatic tumor model. a Schematic illustration of α-melittin-NP therapy in a mouse model of spontaneous liver metastasis. The mCherry-4T-1 cells (3 × 105) were inoculated into the mammary fat pads of syngeneic BALB/c mice and the primary tumors were resected when they reached about 450 mm3 in volume following treatment with PBS, α-peptide-NPs or α-melittin-NPs on days 0, 7, and 14, respectively, post surgery. The numbers of metastatic lesions in different organs were quantified by whole-body fluorescence system. b Representative images of organ tumor burdens on day 64. c Quantification of the liver weights (left panel) and liver metastatic foci (right panel) of mice sacrificed on day 64 (n = 5 mice per group). d Quantification of the lung metastatic foci of mice sacrificed on day 64 (n = 5 mice per group). e Mouse survival was monitored over the course of 100 days post surgery (n = 6 mice per group). Error bars indicate SEM. n.s. not significant; ***P < 0.001; **P < 0.01; *P < 0.05; by one-way ANOVA followed by Bonferroni’s post hoc test c, d or by log-rank Mantel-Cox test e
