Table 3.

Hepatic histopathological lesions of the first sacrifice of rats after 15 and 30 days of i.p. injection of AgNPs

	Group B (0.25 mg/kg b.w.)	Group C (0.5 mg/kg b.w.)	Group D (1 mg/kg b.w.)
Hepatic lesions after 15 days from AgNP exposure
Congestion	+/++	+/++	+++
Capsular thickening	++	++	++
Vacuolar degeneration	+	+++/ ++++	+
Sinusoidal, Ito cell activation	++	+++	+++
Individual cell necrosis (apoptosis)	+	++	++
Focal necrosis	+	+	+++
Bile duct hyperplasia	+	++	+++
Periductal/perivascular reaction	+	++	+++
Hepatic atrophy	-	-	+
Silver pigment deposition	+	++	+
Hepatic lesions after 30 days from AgNP exposure
Pericentral congestion/H. atrophy	++	-	-
Vacuolar degeneration	(fatty change) +	+	-
Hepatic double nuclei	+	+++	+++
Mitotic figures	-	+	++
Sinusoidal, Ito cell activation	++	+++	+++
Individual cell necrosis	+	++	++++
Focal necrosis	++	+++	+++
Bile duct hyperplasia	++++	++++	++++
Biliary fibroplasia	-	-	++
Periductal/perivascular reaction	++++	++++	++++
Vascular degeneration	+	++	Wall +++ hyalinization
Nano silver pigment	+	+	+

-, negative; +, mild; ++, moderate; +++/++++, severe