Fig. 1

Haematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining: Representative images of the liver sections (a, b, c, d) from rats treated with aqueous date extract (ADE) following DEN induced HCC are shown above. a - untreated control (Group A) shows normal hepatocytes, intact cell membrane and central vain; b - DEN control (Group B) liver shows altered hepatocyte morphology, with loss of cell membrane, increased nuclear size and connective tissue infiltration; c, d - the ajwa treated Groups (C: 0.5 g/kg bw; D: 1.0 g/kg bw) shows normal liver pattern with radially arranged hepatocytes similar to that of the control and this was more pronounced in Group D than Group C. Magnification (40X). Inset (e) is the magnified image of the boxed area in B (DEN treated), where changes in cell morphology, nuclear pattern and connective tissue infiltration are clearly demonstrated. Inset (f) is the magnified image of the boxed area in D (Ajwa 1 g/kg bw), which shows normal histological pattern of the liver. Thin black arrows indicate normal hepatocyte morphology. Thick black arrows indicate connective tissue infiltration. Black arrow heads indicate abnormal nuclear morphology