Histological Examination of Imidacloprid Exposure in Larvae

Larvae exposed to imidacloprid for 72 hours were euthanized and subjected to histological examination. Following a 12-hour fixation in 10% neutral-buffered formalin at 4°C, specimens were dehydrated with isopropyl alcohol and embedded in paraffin. Three-micron-thick sections were obtained and stained with hematoxylin and eosin (HE) using a commercially available kit (Beyotime, Shanghai, China). Stained sections were visualized using an Olympus BX51 microscope, and images were captured with an Olympus digital camera. The adopted histological protocol was based on established methods (Khan et al., 2010) with minor adaptations.