Methods were described in our previous study.18 (link) Briefly, 14 days after the model establishment, both model and sham groups of rats were anesthetized deeply using sodium pentobarbital at a dosage of 40 mg/kg (i.p.). The animals were then perfused with 0.9% saline with 4 °C. Then the ipsilateral SCDH tissues were harvested and immediately preserved in RNAlater solution (#AM7020, Invitrogen, USA). Trizol reagent (#15596018, Thermo Fisher, USA) was used for total RNA extraction. The concentrations and the purities of tissue samples was examined using Nanodrop Spectrophotometer (NanoDrop One, Thermo Fisher, USA). RNA integrity number (RIN) was then determined by Agilent TapeStation System (Agilent Technologies, USA).