2.4.1. Animals

A total of 20 male Wistar albino rats, aged 17 months, weighing 458.7 ± 42.7 g average, were purchased from FSUE ‘Laboratory animal nursery Rappolovo’, v. Rappolovo, Leningrad region, Russia. The rats were kept under standard conditions (temperature 20 ± 3 °C, humidity 48 ± 2%, day/night (from 06.00 to 18.00 h/from 18.00 to 06.00 h), no more than four rats per plastic cage), and water and feed were available ad libitum. A balanced diet of commercial pellets (Laboratorcorm, Russia) was fed. The rats were kept for 7 days before the beginning of the experiments for acclimatisation.