2.6. Histology
The small intestine, kidney and liver tissues were immediately fixed in 10% buffered formalin solution in normal saline for 24 h, followed by washing with distilled water, dehydration in serial dilutions of alcohol, dehydration in xylene. The samples were embedded in paraffin for 24 h in a hot-air oven at 56 °C. Paraffin-embedded tissues were sectioned as 5 μm and stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E). Histological specimens from the small intestine, kidney, and liver tissues were histopathologically evaluated using slides stained with H&E. The slides were then examined under a light microscope (Olympus BX51, Tokyo, Japan) and photographed. Histopathological scoring was performed semi-quantitatively to assess the tissue injury index in examined sections. The assessment was expressed as the sum of the individual score grades (0: no findings, 1: mild, 2: moderate, or 3: severe) for each of the following parameters: degeneration, cellular swelling, cellular vacuolization, necrosis, congestion, and hemorrhage.