The Antioxidant Effect of Medicago sativa L. (Alfalfa) Ethanolic Extract against Mercury Chloride (HgCl₂) Toxicity in Rat Liver and Kidney: An In Vitro and In Vivo Study

Figure 4

Histopathological changes in the liver of animals in the control and treated groups (H&E staining, 40x), scale bar = 25 μm. C represents a normal structure of healthy hepatocytes and shows no evidence of degeneration. The nucleolus is euchromatin and active. The central veins and port triads are clear (black arrow) and have a normal structure. There is no infiltration of inflammatory cells into the parenchyma, and there is no bleeding or hypertension in the liver parenchyma. S represents necrosis of liver cells, pycnotic and hyperchromic nuclear cells (green arrow), deposition of cytoplasmic proteins and eosinophilization (blue arrow), parenchymal hemorrhage, severe infiltration of mononuclear inflammatory cells into the area around the portal vein, and also the presence of fibroblasts in the preport area (black arrow). T1 represents infiltration of mononuclear inflammatory cells in the peripheral area (black arrow), central vein congestion (red arrow), acidophilic cytoplasm of hepatocellular (green arrow), and hemorrhage under the Glisson’s capsule (blue arrow). T2 represents infiltration of mononuclear inflammatory cells of lymphocytes and plasma cells around the triad port (black arrow), hyperplasia of Kupffer cells, the normal nucleus of hepatocytes (green arrow), and presence of mononuclear inflammatory cells on Glisson’s capsule of the liver (blue arrow). T3 represents low penetration of mononuclear inflammatory cells in the triad port (blue arrow), hepatocytes being mostly normal, nucleus having no degenerative changes (green arrow), and mild central vein congestion (red arrow).