*2.16. Statistical Analysis*

All results are expressed as the mean ± SEM. Comparisons between two groups were performed using two-tailed Student's *t*-test. \* *p* < 0.05, \*\* *P* < 0.005, \*\*\* *p* < 0.001.

Comparisons between multiple groups were performed via two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). When ANOVA identified significant di fferences, individual means were compared using the post hoc Bonferroni test. Statistical analyses were performed using GraphPad Prism software 6.0.
