Animal subjects
Experimental procedures involving the use of animals complied with the
ARRIVE and BJP guidelines. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (Charles River Lab,
Calco, Lecco; Italy) were housed in a standard facility with free access
to food (4RF21 standard diet; Mucedola, Settimo Milanese, Milan, Italy)
and water, and kept under regular lighting conditions (12 hr dark/light
cycle). Animals were housed in groups of two in an 850
cm2 polysulfone cage (OptiRat; Animal Care Systems,
Centennial, CO, USA) with a Scobis Uno bedding (Mucedola, Settimo
Milanese, Milan, Italy) and environmental enrichments. Adequate measures
were taken to minimize animal pain and discomfort. Experimental
protocols were approved by the Ethical Committee of the University of
Ferrara and the Italian Ministry of Health (license 714/2016-PR).