Model rm2235

Histopathological examination of formalin-fixed kidney and liver tissues was carried out according to a previous study.^{27 (link)} Briefly, kidney and liver tissues were dehydrated with a gradient series of ethanol solutions and rinsed with xylene 3 times. Then, fixed tissues were placed in a mold that contained a small amount of molten paraffin. In the sectioning process, a 5-µm section was sliced from the paraffin blocks of each tissue sample by a manual rotary microtome (Model RM2235, Leica Biosystems, Germany). Then, the sections were floated in a water bath and then transferred to glass slides. For the staining process, the sections were deparaffinized with xylene 3 times for 10 min each, rehydrated with a descending ethanol series of 100%, 96%, 90%, 80%, and 70% for 10 min each and stained with a hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) solution. Then, the sections were dehydrated by increasing the concentrations of ethanol as follows: 70%, 80%, 90%, 96%, and 100%. The sections were then rinsed with xylene and mounted with glass cover slips. Finally, 2 independent observers who were blinded to the group assignments examined the slides under a light microscope.