Fig. 4

Effect of AsA on lung cancer with interstitial pneumonia (IP). A Experimental scheme comparing tumor progression and lung fibrosis among the LC, IP + LC, and AsA + IP + LC groups. The injected cancer cells were LLC and KLN205 cells. O.A., oropharyngeal administration. BLM, bleomycin. AsA, ascorbic acid. HC, Healthy control. B Hematoxylin and eosin staining of lung sections and macroscopic evaluation of the LC, IP + LC, and AsA + IP + LC groups on day 28. The results are shown for LLC. Scale bar: 300 μm. C–E Comparison of C tumor volume, D weight of mediastinal lymph nodes, and E number of metastatic foci among the LC, IP + LC, and AsA + IP + LC groups on day 28 (n = 6–7/group). *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01. F Comparison of hydroxyproline levels among the LC, IP + LC, and AsA + IP + LC groups on day 28 (n = 10/group). *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ****P < 0.001. G Masson’s trichrome staining of lung tissue sections obtained from the LC, IP + LC, and AsA + IP + LC groups on day 28. Scale bar: 300 μm. H Immunohistochemical staining of LC, IP + LC, and AsA + IP + LC group tumor tissues on day 28, with anti-HIF-1α, anti-TIMP-1, and anti-VEGFA antibodies. The results are shown for LLC cells. AsA, ascorbic acid. HIF-1α, hypoxia-inducible factor 1α. TIMP-1, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1. VEGFA, vascular endothelial growth factor A. Scale bar: 50 μm. I–K Comparison of the concentration of I HIF-1α, J TIMP-1, and (K) VEGFA protein in the tumor tissue among the LC, IP + LC, and AsA + IP + LC groups on day 28 (n = 7–8/group). *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ****P < 0.001. L Comparison of serum TGFβ-1 protein concentration among the LC, IP + LC, and AsA + IP + LC groups on day 28 (n = 8/group). *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01