*2.5. Statistical Analysis*

All statistical analyses were performed using the SPSS 23.0 software (SPSS, Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). The data were expressed as mean ± standard error of the mean (SEM) or standard deviation (SD) (in the figures) and were calculated at a confidence level of 95%. The differences between the groups were assessed by Student's unpaired *t*-test. Correlation analysis was performed with Pearson's correlation test. Values of *p* ≤ 0.05 were considered statistically significant.

#### **3. Results**
