Fig. 4

Microscopic image of kidney tissue. The kidney tissue of the control group had normal histological architecture (A). Moderate tubular dilatation (arrowhead) was observed in the DM (B) and DM + SP-100 (C) groups, while mild tubular dilatation was observed in the DM + Gly (F), DM + SP-200 (D) and DM + SP-400 (E). The filtration space of the DM and DM + SP-100 groups enlarged. The integrity of microvilli in the tubular epithelium of the kidneys (dashed arrow) in the DM and DM + SP-100 groups was moderately impaired. H&E 400x. Data are presented as mean ± standard error of mean (SEM). Control vs. DM: ^*P < 0.05, ^**P < 0.01, ^***P < 0.001 and ^****P < 0.0001; DM vs. all treatment groups: ^#P < 0.05, ^##P < 0.01, ^###P < 0.001 and ^####P < 0.0001