Animal Model

Female immunocompetent ICR mice (weighing 22–25 g, 6-week old, n = 105) were purchased from the Royan Institute (Tehran, Iran). The animals were housed in groups of 30 mice each at the Animal Experimentation Facility under standard conditions. All mice were provided food and water ad libitum and were monitored daily, based on the recommendations of the guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals of the National Research Council (2011). All animal experiments were approved by the Institutional Animal Ethical Committee (IAEC) of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran (IR.MAZUMS.REC.1397.9).