*4.5. Hot-Plate Test*

In order to determine the occurrence of thermal hypersensitivity, the mice subgroups (control, STZ-sensitive and STZ-resistant) were subjected to the hot plate test. To detail, CD-1 mice were placed individually on a Hot Plate Analgesia Meter (Ugo Basile, Comerio, Varese, Italy), maintained at 55 ◦C and the latency to hind paw licking or flicking (whichever occurs first) was measured. The animals that did not respond within 30 s were removed from the hot plate to prevent paw damage. The hot plate test was performed before the intraperitoneal injection with STZ or citrate buffer solution (initial paw withdrawal latency, L0), and repeated after 8 weeks (final paw withdrawal latency, Lf), as shown in Figure 3.
