Fig. 3

In vitro cell endocytosis of ILA@Lip. a Laser scanning confocal images of MDA-MB-231 cells treated with AQ4N (2 μg mL⁻¹), free IR 780 (2 μg mL⁻¹) and ILA@Lip (2 μg mL⁻¹) for 2 and 6 h. DAPI: false-color blue signal, AQ4N: false-color green signal, IR 780: false-color red signal. Scale bars = 50 μm. Mean fluorescence intensity of b IR 780 and c AQ4N internalized by MDA-MB-231 cells after incubation for 2 and 6 h. Values represent means ± SD, n = 3. **P < 0.01; ***P < 0.001 vs control. d Flow cytometry analysis of MDA-MB-231 cells treated with AQ4N (2 μg mL⁻¹), free IR 780 (2 μg mL⁻¹), and ILA@Lip (2 μg mL⁻¹) for 2 h. e Detailed distribution of MDA-MB-231 cells treated with ILA@Lip (2 μg mL⁻¹) under normal conditions or hypoxic conditions for 4 h. Scale bars = 50 μm. f Mean fluorescence intensity of IR 780 and AQ4N internalized by MDA-MB-231 cells under normal conditions or hypoxic conditions for 4 h. Values represent means ± SD, n = 3