In the present study, mice livers were examined following exposure to different doses of fipronil (15, 25, and 50 mg/kg). Histological and histochemical techniques were used to determine the cytotoxic potential of this compound and to assess the damage it caused to livers. Mice were divided into four groups: control group and groups I, II, and III were exposed to 15, 25, and 50 mg/kg fipronil, respectively. Our findings revealed cytological, morphohistological, and histochemical alterations in liver cells of animals from groups I, II, and III compared to group control animals. These changes included Kupffer-cell proliferation, hepatocyte hypertrophy, accumulation and distribution of proteins, polysaccharides, lipids, and vacuoles in the cytoplasm of hepatocytes, and congestion of blood vessels. These phenotypes mainly characterize the following: (a) autophagic processes, (b) steatosis, and (c) cell death by necrosis, which demonstrate the damage caused by fipronil on nontarget organisms in artificial conditions.
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