2.6. Fertility assessment of female mice

Female BALB/c mice from all experimental groups were mated with untreated male mice aged 14–16 weeks with proven fertility. Each cage contained three female mice paired with a single male mouse. Mating took place after a ten-day period following the last administered dose. The presence of vaginal plugs or spermatozoa in the vaginal secretions was monitored daily, and the day of detection marked the beginning of pregnancy (designated as day 0). The female mice were then separated and kept until day 18 of pregnancy, when they were sacrificed. Uteri and ovaries were collected, and various reproductive parameters were recorded, including the counts of corpora lutea, implantations, resorptions, as well as both live and dead fetuses. Subsequently, the following parameters were calculated: Fertility potential (efficiency of implantation): Calculated as (number of implantation sites/number of corpora lutea) × 100. Rate of preimplantation loss: Calculated as [(number of corpora lutea - number of implantations)/number of corpora lutea] × 100. Rate of postimplantation loss: Calculated as [(number of implantations - number of live fetuses)/number of implantations] × 100, following the methodology described by Perobelli et al. (28).