2.5. Histopathological Examination

At the end of the study, the kidneys of each animal were removed. Sections of excised kidney tissues from all animals were preserved in 10% formaldehyde, dehydrated in graduated ethanol, and incorporated into paraffin. Thereafter, sections of the liver were cut at 7 μm on a microtome (Leica RM 2145), (Leica Microsystems, Wetzlar, Germany) and mounted on glass slides. Slides were stained with hematoxylin-eosin for histological evaluation. The histological sections were examined under a Leica DM750 microscope, and the images were captured using a Leica ICC 50 HD camera (Leica Microsystems) connected to the microscope.

We determined the renal parenchymal damage with a score based on the tubular necrosis percentage observed in the tissues (0—no damage; 1—isolated unicellular necrosis; 2—tubular necrosis <25%, 3—tubular necrosis between 25% and 50%; 4—tubular necrosis >50%).