Fig. 9

Neuroprotection by the Pep-Cu_5.4O@H151 nanoplatform at the tumor–normal tissue interface during radiotherapy for glioblastoma. a Schematic illustration of the experimental design: The GL261 orthotopic glioma model was established via stereotactic inoculation, followed by fractionated radiotherapy (5 Gy × 5 days) and concurrent nanodrug administration (5 mg/kg, i.v., 14 days). b Representative in vivo bio-fluorescence images of tumor volume at 0, 14 and 21 days post-treatment. c Quantitative analysis of tumor bio-fluorescence intensity (n = 3 mice; one-way ANOVA). d Immunofluorescence staining of NeuN⁺ neurons. NeuN⁺ neurons (green); Pep-Cu_5.4O@H151 nanodrugs (red, white arrows indicate neuron-specific accumulation); DAPI (blue). e Quantitative analysis of NeuN⁺ neuron fluorescence intensity (n = 3 fields; one-way ANOVA). f HE staining of mouse brains. The left panel shows the whole-brain image, and the right panel presents a magnified view of the area within the black box in the left panel. All the statistical data are presented as the means ± SEMs. Scale bars: 20 μm (d), 1000 μm (f, right), and 20 μm (f, left)