4.4. Serum Biochemistry Assay and Histopathology

The blood samples were collected from the femoral vein in a tube without an anticoagulant. The whole blood of the rats was centrifuged at 1744× g for 15 min at 4 °C, so as to obtain the serum samples. The ALT, AST, CRE, and BUN levels were determined according to the manufacturer’s instructions, using a biochemical analyzer. The liver and kidney tissues of rats were taken immediately for gross morphological observation. Then, we cleaned the remaining blood on the surface of the tissue with normal saline, and dried it with filter paper. After that, the liver and kidney samples were stored in a 10% formaldehyde solution and embedded in paraffin. The paraffin sections were dewaxed and rehydrated under different alcohol gradients. Subsequently, HE staining was performed so as to observe the histopathological changes using a standard optical microscope (Olympus BX53, Tokyo, Japan).