Animal Study

BALB/c nude mice (4–6 weeks old) were purchased from the Shanghai SLAC Animal Center (Shanghai, China). All animal experiments were approved by the Institutional Ethical Committee of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, and animals were maintained following the guidelines of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. Animals were randomized into two groups: control and LOC441178-OE groups. 1 x 10⁶ TE-9 or TE-9 cells stably expressing LOC441178-OE cells in 100 μL PBS were injected subcutaneously into the left flank of nude mice. Tumor volume was monitored every week with a caliper and tumor size was calculated as V: volume = length × width²/2. After 28 days of treatment, mice were sacrificed, and the entire tumors were weighed.