Cl 0106 1

The experimental protocols used in this study were approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of Azabu University (Approval No.: 1610108-1). Male 8-week-old BALB/c mice (BALB/c SLC: JAPAN SLC INC,
Shizuoka, Japan) were kept in polycarbonate cages (CL-0106-1; 310 × 360 × 175 mm; CLEA Japan, Tokyo, Japan) with wood shavings, in a room equipped with a barrier system at the Research Institute of Biosciences, Azabu
University. We used BALB/c mice since this strain is reported to show relatively high susceptibility to cerulein [42 (link)]. The room was air-conditioned at a temperature of 22 ± 1°C and
a humidity of 55 ± 5%, and was lit for 12 hr each day from 06:00 to 18:00. The animals were acclimated to the facility for 1 week before the experiment. Mice were fed a commercial rodent pellet (mouse and rat chow; MC-2,
CLEA Japan, Tokyo, Japan) and had access ad libitum to sterilized drinking water provided in a water bottle. All animals were examined and judged healthy before the study, and were fasted overnight
before the experiment.

All procedures in the current study were performed in accordance with the guidelines
approved by the Azabu University Animal Experiment Committee. Thirty-four 8-week old male
C57BL/6J mice were purchased from JAPAN SLC INC (C57BL/6JJmsSLC, Shizuoka, Japan). Animals
were acclimated for 1 week before starting the experiment, and housed separately in
polycarbonate cages (CL-0106–1; 310 mm × 360 mm × 175 mm; CLEA Japan, Tokyo, Japan) on
wood shavings. Mice were maintained under a barrier system at the Azabu University
Research Institute of Biosciences. The room temperature was 22 ± 1°C, with a humidity of
55 ± 5%, and a light cycle that included 14 h of light a day, from 06:00 to 20:00. Mice
were fed a pelleted mouse diet (mouse and rat chow; MC-2, CLEA Japan), and had
unrestricted access to sterilized drinking water provided in a water bottle. All
experiments were performed when mice were 8 weeks of age. As circadian rhythm affects
cardiovascular function [6 (link)], all experiments and
weighing procedures were conducted between 14:00–17:00. After finishing the entire
experiment, euthanasia was performed by intraperitoneal administration of pentobarbital at
a concentration of 100 mg/kg followed by cervical dislocation.