Fig. 6

Histological evaluation of adverse effects after single IV administration of AgNPs and AgAc in mice. Representative images of spleen (scale bar = 500 μm), gall bladder (scale bar = 500 μm), liver (scale bar = 50 μm), and kidney (scale bar = 50 μm) from vehicle- (control), AgNP (10 nm, 40 nm, 100 nm), and AgAc-treated mice. No relevant changes were present in the examined organs of control mice. In the spleen, a severe hyperemia of the red pulp was present in 10 nm-treated mice (*). In the gall bladder, severe intraluminal (*) and mural (arrowhead) hemorrhages were found in 10 nm AgNPs-treated mice, and in a single mouse treated with 40 nm AgNPs, while in 100 nm-treated mice only mild mural edema and hyperemia were occasionally evident. In the liver, in 10 nm AgNP-treated mice marked midzonal hepatocellular necrosis (*) and hemorrhages (arrowhead) were present, while in 40 nm-treated mice only occasional single cell necrosis (arrowhead, and inset) and early signs of coagulative periportal necrosis (*) were found (PV = portal vein). In the kidney, in AgAc-treated mice marked tubular necrosis (arrowhead) with intraluminal hyaline casts (*) were present