*2.2. Animals*

Male Wistar rats 8–12 weeks of age, weighing 80–90 g (*n* = 24), were obtained from the Animal House Facility of King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The animal ethics committee approved the study of King Saud University (approval no. KSU-SE-21-05). Rats were housed at 23–25 ◦C and 55–60% ambient humidity on a 12:12 h light/dark cycle and were fed a regular diet with fresh drinking water daily.
