Fig. 4

Histological evaluation of silver tissue localization by AMG. Representative images of spleen, liver, kidney, and lung (scale bar = 20 μm), from vehicle- (control), AgNP (10 nm, 40 nm, 100 nm), and AgAc-treated mice. In the spleen, silver was localized within the cytoplasm of macrophages in the marginal zone of the white pulp (WP) and in the red pulp (RP). In the liver, the cellular localization of silver varied depending on the size of the AgNPs. In 10 nm AgNP-treated mice, silver was present in the cytoplasm of Kupffer cells (arrowhead), sinusoidal endothelial cells (arrow) and hepatocytes (*). In 40 nm AgNPs-treated mice, silver was localized in the cytoplasm of portal endothelial cells (*), sinusoidal endothelial cells (arrow) and Kupffer cells (arrowhead). In 100 nm AgNPs-treated mice, most of silver was concentrated in the cytoplasm of Kupffer cells (arrowhead). In AgAc-treated mice, silver was present in the cytoplasm of hepatocytes (*), and Kupffer cells (arrowhead). In the kidney, occasional silver-containing cells were observed in the renal interstitium of 10 nm AgNP treated-mice (arrowhead), and large amounts of silver were identified in necrotic tubules of AgAc-treated mice (arrowhead). In the lung, scattered silver-containing cells were found in the alveolar septa of 10 nm and 40 nm AgNP-treated mice