Fig. 5

Anti-TGF-β inhibits tumor metastasis by inhibiting neutrophil polarization. A The schematic diagram shows the experimental design of tamoxifen induction, Anti-Ly6G⁺ antibody administration, intravenous injection of LLC tumor cells and lung imaging. B Representative lung images showing the diminished metastases to the lungs of EMCN^ecko mice (n = 4 per group) treated with anti-Ly6G⁺ antibody. Data represent the mean ± SD. Statistical analysis was performed using unpaired Student’s t test. **p < 0.01. C The association of TGF-β and EMCN in all normal specimens was analyzed using online datasets (https://hiplot.com.cn/advance/correlation-analyzer). D The schematic diagram shows the experimental design of tamoxifen induction, subcutaneous inoculation of LLC tumor cells, Anti-Ly6G⁺ injection, tumor resection and lung analysis (left). Photographs show the tumors on Day 21. E Tumor volumes and F tumor weights were measured for each group. G Representative Ki67 staining images of tumor sections are shown from WT and EMCN^ecko mice with and without anti-TGF-β injection (left panel). Quantification of Ki67 expression was performed (right panel) (n = 4 mice per group). Scale bars, 100 μm. H Representative images and HE staining of lung metastasis in WT or EMCN^ecko mice with or without anti-TGF-β injection. I Lung tissues were subjected to double-label immunofluorescence for NOS2 (green) and Arg2 (red). DAPI (blue): cell nuclei. N1 neutrophil marker (NOS2⁺) and N2 neutrophil marker (Arg2⁺). Scale bar: 75 μm