*2.4. Blood Analysis*

A total of 21.5 mL of blood were withdrawn from the antecubital vein for analyses: one 3.0 mL tube with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) for hemogram and another 3.5 mL tube with polyethylene terephthalate (PET) for biochemical parameters. For the measurement of antioxidant parameters, five 3.0 mL EDTA tubes were obtained, where one tube was immediately centrifuged at 3500 rpm at 4 ◦C for 10 min. All tubes were temporarily stored at 2–4 ◦C and then sent to an external laboratory for analysis. Red blood cell count was carried out in an automated Cell-Dyn 3700 analyser (Abbott Diagnostics, Chicago, IL, USA) using internal (Cell-Dyn 22) and external (Program of Excellence for Medical Laboratories-PEML) controls. Values of erythrocytes, hemoglobin, hematocrit and hematometra indexes (mean cell volume (MCV), mean cell hemoglobin (MCH) and mean cell hemoglobin concentration (MCHC)) were estimated.
