2.6. Blood Collection, Peripheral Blood Cell Count, Serum Preparation, and Tissue Collection

Under deep isoflurane anesthesia, blood was drawn from the 30-day surviving mice via cardiac puncture into a microtube containing EDTA for complete blood count (CBC), and into a microtube with a serum separator additive for serum preparation, as described [30]. Whole blood samples, at least 15 µL, were analyzed using a veterinary hematology analyzer (Element HT5; Heska, Loveland, CO, USA) following the manufacturer’s instructions. Sera were collected after centrifugation at 10,000× g for 10 min following at least 30 min coagulation at room temperature (RT), which were immediately stored at –80 °C for further analysis. After the blood draw, cervical dislocation was performed, and then the skin and sternum were collected for further analysis.