FIGURE 1.
Analytical characterization of Span and polyethylene glycol (Span-PEG) microbubbles loaded with schisandrin A (A) The structure SEM of schisandrin A microbubbles; (B) The particle size distribution; (C) Zeta potential of schisandrin A microbubbles, (n = 6).
TABLE 1.
Loading rate of schisandrin A in Span and polyethylene glycol (Span-PEG) composite microbubbles
| Number of experiments | Absorbance value | Rate of load/% |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0.524 | 8.68 |
| 2 | 0.536 | 8.88 |
| 3 | 0.541 | 8.96 |
| Mean | 0.534 | 8.84 |
| SD | 0.009 | 0.14 |
FIGURE 2.
The Walker-256 cell survival rate of schisandrin A (n = 6; compared with control group [0 μg/mL], **P < 0.01).
FIGURE 3.
Anti-tumor cell experiment assessment in different groups (n = 6; *Compared with C group, P < 0.01; &Compared with D group, P < 0.01; #Compared with U+D group, P < 0.01)
FIGURE 4.
The content of schisandrin A in the cells of each group (A. Chromatogram of standard schisandrin A; B. Chromatogram of blank intracellular fluid; C. Chromatogram of blank intracellular solution + standard schisandrin A; D. Chromatogram of the tested intracellular liquid; E. Comparison of drug concentrations between different groups, n = 6; **Compared with C group P < 0.001; ##Compared with D group P < 0.001)
FIGURE 5.
The changes in tumor size before and after drug treatment detected by Ultrasound images (n = 6; *Compared with Pre-treatment group, P < 0.05; **Compared with Pre-treatment group, P < 0.01).
FIGURE 6.
Detection of serum inflammatory factors (tumor necrosis factor-α [TNF-α], interleukin-6 [IL-6], interleukin-1β [IL-1β]) in different group (n = 6, *Compared with C group, P < 0.01; #Compared with D+U group, P < 0.01; &Compared with M+U group, P < 0.01).
FIGURE 7.
Histopathological changes in different groups (division of the tumor cell nucleus [red arrows], hyperplasia of collagen fibers [green arrows], necrosis of tumor cells [yellow arrows], and balloon-like swelling of tumor cells [blue arrows]).
FIGURE 8.
Immunohistochemical changes in different groups.
FIGURE 9.
The expression of hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), vascular endothlial growth factor (VEGF) and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR-2) proteins in the tumor tissues (n = 6, *Compared with C group, P < 0.01; #Compared with D+U group, P < 0.01; &Compared with M+U group, P < 0.01)
FIGURE 10.
Protein expression results of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway in tumor tissues (n = 6, *Compared with Control, P < 0.05; **Compared with Control, P < 0.01).