fig3

Figure 3. Representative MRI findings in a R1 tumor-bearing rat on day 0 baseline, and day 7 and 14 post BJOE and NS treatments (A). Tumors treated with both BJOE and NS appear hyperintense on T2WIs, and nearly isointense on T1WIs; intratumoral necrosis appeared highly hyperintense as a central core. On ADC maps, bilateral tumors share the same signal intensity at baseline on day 0, suggesting the intact tumor viability; however, tumors showed stronger signals in the center on day 7 and 14 after BJOE and NS injections, suggesting spontaneous and therapeutic tumor necrosis, respectively. Tumor growth curve (B), and corresponding viable tumor (C) and intratumoral necrosis (D) ratios between BJOE treated (red line, n = 12) and control (blue line, n = 12) groups on day 0 baseline, and day 7 and 14 post treatment measured from T2WI. No significant difference was found in tumor volume between the two groups. Intratumoral necrosis in BJOE treated group was found significantly raised than that in control group from day 7 on; meanwhile, viable tumor significantly decreased after BJOE treatment. Results are means ± SEM. **P ＜ 0.01, ***P ＜ 0.001. MRI: Magnetic resonance imaging; BJOE: Brucea Javanica oil emulsion; NS: normal saline; ADC: apparent diffusion coefficient; SEM: standard error of the mean