Fig. 6
The TNF-α-CCR7 axis is involved in lymph node metastasis of GBC in vivo. a Establishment of orthotopic xenograft models of GBC in nude mice. After anaesthesia and exposure of the gallbladder (black arrow), one of two NOZ cell lines (NOZ or LV-shCCR7) was injected into the cavity of the gallbladder. b-c Gross anatomy of the nude mice. Ascites (green arrow) and hepatic metastasis (white arrow) were observed in the orthotopic xenograft models (b). The metastatic lymph nodes (blue arrow) are mainly located in the hepatoduodenal ligament (c). d Lymph node metastasis was further confirmed by H-E staining (200×). The invasive tumour cells (yellow arrow) could be observed in the lymphoid follicles (red arrow)