Histopathological examination of kidney tissues. Representative photomicrographs of periodic acid-Schiff (PAS), Masson’s trichrome staining and immunostaining for desmin of the kidney cortical regions (A). Tubular degeneration and dilatation were assessed using a semiquantitative score from 0 to 4, with 0 representing no damage and 4 representing severe damage (B,C). Podocyte injury marker desmin was assessed using a semiquantitative score from 0 (0%) to 4 (51% to 75%) for each animal (average per animal from 30 selected glomeruli) (D). Values are represented as means ± SE (n = 5–6). **, p < 0.01 vs. DS/N rats. ##, p < 0.05 vs. DS/H rats. Scale bar, 100 μm.