*2.2. Cell Culture*

H9c2 rat embryonic cardiomyoblast cells (American Type Culture Collection, Manassas, VA, USA) were cultured according to the manufacturer's recommendations. The cells were cultured in high-glucose Dulbecco's Modified Eagle's Medium (DMEM, Sigma-Aldrich, St. Louis, MO, USA)-modified solution containing 4 mM L-glutamine, 4.5 g/<sup>L</sup> glucose, 1 mM sodium pyruvate, and 1.5 g/<sup>L</sup> sodium bicarbonate (Sigma-Aldrich, St. Louis, MO, USA) supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum and 1% antibiotic solution (HyClone, GE Healthcare Bio-sciences, Pittsburgh, PA, USA). The cells were maintained in a humidified incubator containing 95% air and 5% CO2 at 37 ◦C.
