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Research Paper Volume 12, Issue 12 pp 11579—11602

Long-term PM2.5 exposure increases the risk of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) progression by enhancing interleukin-17a (IL-17a)-regulated proliferation and metastasis

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Figure 9. PM2.5-promoted tumor growth and metastasis are associated with IL-17a in xenograft mouse models. (A) Representative images of tumor samples isolated from each group of mice as indicated (n = 6). Scale bar, 1 cm. (B) Tumor volume was measured (n = 6). (C) Tumor weight was recorded (n = 6). (D) The body weight of mice was recorded (n = 6). (E) IHC staining was used to determine KI-67 and SOX2 expression levels in the tumor sections (n = 4). Scale bar, 100 μm. (F) H&E staining of pulmonary tissues (n = 4; Scale bar, 100 μm) and (G) pictures of lung samples isolated from the indicated groups of mice to calculate the metastatic nodules on the surface of lungs (n = 6). (H) The number of lung metastatic nodules was quantified (n = 6). (I) RT-qPCR analysis was used to calculate the expression of metastasis-associated genes as displayed (n = 4). All data are expressed as mean ± SEM. *p<0.05 and **p<0.01.