Experimental animals

Female albino Wistar rats of eight weeks of age, weighing 150–170 g, bred in the Laboratory Animal Resource Section of IVRI, were used. The animals received normal laboratory pellet diet (composition: wheat bran – 12%, maize – 87%, salt – 1%, F – 4.20 ppm) and water (F – 0.23 ppm) ad libitum. The animals used in the present study were maintained in polypropylene cages at 12 h dark/12 h light cycles, with temperature of the laboratory animal house ranging from 18 to 25 °C and humidity between 55 and 60%. The study was approved by the Institute Animal Ethics Committee (Approval number: 1-53/2004-JD Research, Dated: 09.04.2010).