Figure 3.

Reduction of hepatic granulomatous inflammation by HSA treated 1–5 days S. japonicum post-infected mice. Mice were treated with administration of 8 mg·kg⁻¹ HSA, 300 mg·kg⁻¹ praziquantel (positive control) and 300 mg·kg⁻¹ artesunate (positive control) as antischistosomal treatments for 1-day-old juvenile S. japonicum infection. The effect of HSA on hepatic granulomatous inflammation of infected mice was tested. (A) Liver weight index (liver weight/body weight). Each bar represents the mean ± SD. ^## p < 0.01 vs. Normal, t-test; ** p < 0.01 vs. Negative control, t-test; (B) Representative hepatic granulomas of untreated and drug-treated mice. Photographs were taken at 100× (H&E). Black arrows represent the area of granuloma; (C) Quantification of egg-induced liver pathology by measurement of mean granuloma diameter. Each bar represents the mean ± SD; ** p < 0.01 vs. Negative control, t-test.