| 28-day drinking water |
Subchronic (30-90 days) |
4-week-old BalB/C male mice from the Animal Center of the College of
Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University were housed (26 cm × 18 cm ×
13 cm) under a controlled 12-h/12-h light–dark cycle (lights on at 7:00
A.M.) at a room temperature of 22 ± 1 °C and 55 ± 5% humidity. Four
mice were housed in each cage. Mice were given free access to water
and food. Experiments were performed after 4 weeks of feeding; they
were considered adults at 8 weeks. Before each test, the animals were
placed in the laboratory for 30 min to be acclimated to the test environment.
The experimental protocols were in accordance with the Guide
for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals published by the US National
Institutes of Health and approved by the Xi'an Jiaotong University Laboratory
Animal Administration Committee. All efforts were made to minimize
the number of animals used and their suffering. |