*4.1. Animals*

Adult Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 260-300 g (Koatec, Pyeongtaek, South Korea) were used for experiments in this study. Animals were housed in groups of three per cage under 12-h light/dark cycles, with free access to food and water. Animals were subjected to 7 days of acclimatization upon arrival at the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC)-accredited Yonsei University College of Medicine Animal Care Facilities. All experimental procedures were approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of Yonsei University Health System (permit no.: 2019-0263, approval date: 22 January 2020) and performed according to the National Institutes of Health Guide for Care.
