Animals
Pathogen-free adult male and female Sprague-Dawley rats (~75-100 g, Charles River Laboratories, Wilmington, MA.) were kept in light (12-h light: 12-h dark cycle; lights on at 07:00 h) and temperature (23 ± 3°C) controlled rooms. Standard rodent chow and water were available ad libitum. All animal use was conducted in accordance with the National Institutes of Health guidelines, and the study was conducted in strict accordance with recommendations in the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals of the New York University (Protocol#: PROTO202100104). All animals were housed and bred at the New York University Kriser Dental Center Animal Facility. All efforts were made to minimize animal suffering.