**2.1. Animal care**

A total of forty seven adult male Wistar rats (200 – 250 g) were obtained from our laboratory colony maintained at the Abant Izzet Baysal University (AIBU). They were exposed from birth to 12L (12 hour of light, 12 hour of darkness, lights off at 1800 hr). Animals were maintained in plastic cages (16x31x42 cm) with pine shavings used as bedding. Food pellets and tap water were accessible ad libitum. The procedures in this study were carried out in accordance with the Animal Scientific procedure and approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. All lighting was provided by the cool-white fluorescent tubes controlled by automatic programmable timers. The ambient temperatures in the animal facilities were held constant at 22 2 C in air-ventilated rooms.
