2.3. Experimental Animals

Male SHRs (n = 50) and WKY rats (n = 10, aged 4 weeks) weighing 80–100 g were purchased from Beijing Vital River Laboratory Animal Technology Co. Ltd. (Beijing, China, Permission No. SCXK (J) 2016–0001). All animals were housed in an environment with a temperature of 22 ± 1°C, relative humidity of 50 ± 1%, and a light/dark cycle of 12/12 hr. All animal studies (including the rat euthanasia procedure) were conducted in accordance with the Animal Management Rules of the Chinese Ministry of Health and with the approval of the Animal Ethics Committee of Dongzhimen Hospital affiliated with Beijing University of Chinese Medicine (No. 21–27).