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.