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Article History

Received: 10 August 2025

Accepted: 7 January 2026

First Online: 17 January 2026

Declarations

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: All animal experimental protocols in this study were approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of Inner Mongolia Medical University on 14 October 2021 (Ethics approval No. YKD202102054). Procedures were conducted in accordance with the ARRIVE 2.0 guidelines and the requirements of EU Directive 2010/63/EU. A total of 40 male Wistar rats (180–200 g) were used. They were housed in the Laboratory Animal Center of Inner Mongolia Medical University (License No. SCXK(M) 2020-0001). This strain, characterized by a clear genetic background and high reproducibility, is the preferred model for studying metabolic disorders in this project. Animals were maintained in an SPF barrier facility under a 12-h light/dark cycle with ad libitum access to food and water.All surgical procedures were performed under anesthesia with 2% sodium pentobarbital (50 mg kg⁻¹, i.p.). Post-operative analgesia was provided with buprenorphine (0.1 mg kg⁻¹, s.c.) every 12 h for 48 h. Body weight, posture, and food intake were monitored at 4 h, 24 h, and 48 h after surgery. Pain was assessed using a 0–4 scale; scores ≥ 3 prompted additional analgesia or early euthanasia. The humane endpoint was defined as ≥ 20% body-weight loss or inability to feed. Euthanasia was performed by gradual CO₂ inhalation (20% chamber volume min⁻¹) until respiratory arrest, followed by cervical dislocation to confirm death. Blood was collected from the retro-orbital venous plexus, with no more than 10% of total blood volume removed per collection and a minimum interval of 2 weeks between samplings. No exemptions were requested; all procedures underwent full ethical review.

: The authors declare no competing interests.