Fig. 1
NCTD inhibits growth of the in-situ colonic xenografts and prolongs survival time of the xenograft mice in vivo. a Tumor growth of the in-situ colonic xenografts of each group. A pink, pale, fish-like, round or oval in-situ xenograft was found at intestinal wall at the 6th week end, with average tumor volume of 818.45 ± 53.16 mm3 in control group; but the size and volume of the xenograft in Sorafenib, NCTD or NCTD + Sorafenib group were decreased significantly (*P < 0.001), with increased tumor inhibition rate (#P < 0.0001) as compared to control group, and a significant tumor inhibition in NCTD + Sorafenib group in comparison with Sorafenib or NCTD group (§P < 0.01). b Kaplan-Meier survival curves for the xenograft mice of each group. A prolonged survival time was observed in Sorafenib, NCTD or NCTD + Sorafenib group as compared to control group (log-rank test, P = 0.026). c The histomorphologic structure of the in-situ colonic xenografts of each group (H&E, magnification × 200; TEM, magnification × 6000). In control group, colonic wall structure was destroyed, tumor cells showed infiltrative growth or arranged in clusters funicular i.e. cancer nests, with abundant cytoplasm, deep dyeing nucleus, increased mitotic phase and connective tissue among tumor cells under an optic microscope (CH&E); irregular tumor cells with abundant microvilli, clear organelles and chromatin enrichment under a TEM (CTEM). But in Sorafenib, NCTD or NCTD + Sorafenib group, tumor cells, cancer nests, different-sized glands and part of blood vessels tissues were destroyed; many destroyed, even apoptotic tumor cells, part of vacuolar degeneration were observed (CH&E); also, disappearing microvilli, mitochondrial swelling, golgiosome atrophy, vacuolar degeneration, nuclear shrinkage, chromatin aggregation, chromosome condensation, and typical apoptotic bodies were found (CTEM)