Fig. 9

IL-6 notably accelerated tumor growth and activated JAK2/STAT3-Sox4-NLRP3 pathway in nude mouse xenografts of OSCC. SCC-15 cells were applied to construct nude mouse xenografts, which were intervened with IL-6 or anti-IL-6. (A) Subcutaneous tumors were dissected and photographed at the end of day 21. (B) Tumor growth curve was presented after xenotransplantation. Sox4 (C) and NLRP3 (D) expressions were certified with RT-qPCR. (E) Immunohistochemical staining of Sox4, NLRP3, and Ki-67 expressions in the tumors. (F) Ki-67 positive cells were counted. (G) Western blotting analysis of JAK2, STAT3, Sox4, and NLRP3 inflammasome activation-related proteins. (H) IL-1β and IL-18 levels were confirmed using ELISA kits in the serum of nude mice. ** P < 0.01, *** P < 0.001