Fig. 3

Intraperitoneal administration of CCR2 and CXCR2 antagonists prevents hepatocarcinogenesis in the primary HCC model. A After 8 weeks of diethylnitrosamine treatment, Sprague Dawley rats were intraperitoneally injected with the CCR2 antagonist INCB3344 (60 μg/g body weight) in 200 μl saline, the CXCR2 antagonist SCH527123 (10 μg/g body weight) in 200 μl saline, INCB3344 (60 μg/g) + SCH527123 (10 μg/g) in 200 μl saline, or 200 μl of blank saline. Injections were continued twice every week for 6 weeks. After 14 weeks, the rats were sacrificed to observe the development of HCC. Representative images of rat livers from the indicated treatment groups are shown (n = 10/group). Typical tumor nodes are marked by the asterisks. B The number of HCC nodules per liver was counted. Data are presented as mean ± SD. ns not statistically significant, ***p < 0.001. C The maximum tumor volume per liver was determined. Data are presented as mean ± SD. ns not statistically significant, ***p < 0.001. D Hematoxylin and eosin H, E staining was employed to observe the histological structure of the liver in the indicated treatment groups. Black asterisks represent accumulation of inflammatory cells. Scale bar, 200 μm. E The Klintrup-Makinen score was determined to assess the level of local inflammatory cell infiltration. Data are presented as mean ± SD. ns not statistically significant, ***p < 0.001