Specific pathogen-free (SPF) NOD mice initially obtained from Taconic Biosciences (Hudson, NY) were bred in the Coverdell animal facility at University of Georgia (UGA). We chose NOD mice, a murine model that spontaneously develops T1D, since they have genetics and changes in immunity that lead to the destruction of pancreatic β-cells similar to humans and are an excellent model for assessing possible environmental factors for T1D risk [14 (link)]. Mice were kept in polysulfone cages with irradiated laboratory animal bedding and Bed-r’Nest for enrichment (The Andersons Inc., Maumee, Ohio) at 22–25 °C with relative humidity 50 ± 20 and a 12-h light/dark cycle. Negligible amounts of BPA have been reported to leach from new or used polysulfone cages maintained at room temperature [15 (link),16 (link)]. Water and food were provided ad libitum. Mice had access to water through the animal facility’s automatic watering system. Animal caretakers were blinded to the exposure groups. In all experiments performed, animals were treated humanely with regard to alleviating animal suffering. An approved animal protocol (A2017 09-001-Y2-A2; Approved on: 2017-09-28) by the UGA Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) was followed for all procedures.
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