Fig. 2

Clone formation assay. There were five groups in the experiment: CK, si-NC (siRNA-NC), astaxanthin, si-STAT3 and astaxanthin + si-STAT3. CK was the blank control group. The si-STAT3 and si-NC (siRNA-NC) groups were, respectively, transfected with siRNA-STAT3 and a blank siRNA-NC plasmid for 48 h. Astaxanthin (200 µM) was administered for 24 h after transfection for 48 h. (a) Photograph of the colonies formed in the five groups. (b) Results for clone formation number. The data are presented as the mean of three experiments (± SD). *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001. (c) Results for clone formation inhibition rate. The data are presented as the mean of three experiments (± SD). *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001