Abstract
BACKGROUND: The mechanisms underlying the tissue-specific effects of vaccines and ALNPs remain insufficiently characterized. The present study aimed to investigate recent potential breakthroughs by observing the effect of vaccines and ALNPs on histopathological changes in the kidney and liver. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was an in-vivo study on Thirty male New Zealand white rabbits. The animals were divided into five groups: Control group (group 1, n=6) considered to receive 0.2 ml normal saline injection intramuscularly; while one experimental group (group 2, n=6) was injected ALNPs (Alum-KAl(SO₄)₂·12H₂O) at a low dose (0.05 M) intramuscularly, one group (group 3, n=6) was injected high dose of ALNPs (0.1 M) intramuscularly, one group (group 4, n=6) was injected intramuscular poliomyelitis vaccine (0.2 mL), and last group (group 5, n=6) was injected tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis vaccine (0.2 mL) intramuscularly. The experiment continued for 30 days (once a day); then kidney and liver were dissected and processed for histopathological analysis. RESULTS: The kidney showed renal tubular necrosis, and the predominant histopathological finding was glomerular swelling with focal proximal tubule degeneration and mild to severe distorted glomerulus, in addition to exudate edema and intertubular hemorrhage. Meanwhile, in the liver, changes were observed ranging from mild hepatocyte congestion to hepatic sinusoid and portal triad congestion. Anisokaryosis, nuclear vesiculation, binucleation, cytoplasmic inclusions, cytoplasmic swelling, hydropic degeneration, and necrosis were the primary alterations observed in the hepatocytes. CONCLUSION: Therefore, the pathological effects of ALNP and vaccines on the liver and kidney were prominent, but more significant changes were observed in ALNP-treated tissue than in vaccine-treated tissues.