Figure 1

Ultrasound and histological findings of livers from NAFLD rats fed a high-fat diet for 8, 12 and 16 weeks, respectively. (A) Ultrasonographic representation (40 MHz) of the liver in transverse section. Transversal sonogram of Control group (normal liver) demonstrates homogeneous liver parenchyma, with medium level echogenicity and a regular hepatic surface (arrowheads). Transversal sonogram of liver in rats fed a high-fat diet for 8, 12 and 16 weeks, presents diffusely increased parenchymal echogenicity, the edge blunter, discrete coarse and heterogeneous parenchymal echogenicity and the liver surface as a dotted or slightly irregular line. (B) Histochemical analyses of liver specimens from rats stained with haematoxylin and eosin (H & E),oil red O and Masson’s. Rats fed a high-fat diet for 8 weeks show steatosis, predominantly as microvesicular fat in the acinar zones 1 and 2. Rats fed a high-fat diet for 12 and 16 weeks show pronounced hepatic steatosis, ballooning degeneration, infiltration of inflammatory cells (arrowhead), piecemeal necrosis (stars), fibrous tissue deposition and formation of fat granulomas (arrows). Objective lens, ×20.