Fig. 3

Effects of treatment with CPBMF-223 (50 mg/kg/day, 5 days/week, 3 weeks) and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU; 30 mg/kg, every other day) by intraperitoneal (i.p.) route. Immunolabeling for vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF; angiogenesis marker) (A and D) and Ki-67 (cell proliferation marker) (B and E); and hematoxylin-eosin (HE) for number of blood vessels (C and F) (angiogenesis marker) present in the tumor tissue for female and male nude mice. Representative images of HE in different treatment groups and sexes (G). 5-FU treatment was used as a positive control drug for colorectal cancer. Results are expressed as optical density or number of vessels and represent the mean ± standard error of the mean for five images captured per tumor (x200 for HE and VEGF; x400 for Ki-67). Statistical analysis was determined by one-way analysis of variance, followed by Dunnet’s post-test. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, and ***p < 0.001 significantly from vehicle group (negative control). n = 5–7 animals per group.