A total of 80 8–12-week old female C3H mice (weight, 28–34 g) were purchased from Vital River Laboratory Animal Technology Co., Ltd. (Beijing, China). The mice were maintained in a specific pathogen-free, microisolated environment (temperature, 18–29°C; humidity, 50–80%) with a 12 h light/dark cycle at the Laboratory Animal Center of the School of Stomatology (the Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China) and were provided with a standard pellet diet along with free access to sterilized water.
The animals were anesthetized by intraperitoneal injection of 50 mg/kg sodium pentobarbital (Sigma-Aldrich; Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany) and irradiated with a single dose of 18 Gy at a focus-to-skin distance of 100 cm, using a 4 MV X-ray from a linear accelerator (Mevatron MD; Siemens Medical Laboratories, Inc., Munich, Germany). The mice were locally irradiated in the head and neck region, including the SGs, while the body was protected by a 12 mm-thick lead block. This radiation dose is known to induce sufficient damage without compromising the general health of the animal and results in permanent, irreversible salivary dysfunction within 6 months of exposure (22 (link)).
The animals were anesthetized by intraperitoneal injection of 50 mg/kg sodium pentobarbital (Sigma-Aldrich; Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany) and irradiated with a single dose of 18 Gy at a focus-to-skin distance of 100 cm, using a 4 MV X-ray from a linear accelerator (Mevatron MD; Siemens Medical Laboratories, Inc., Munich, Germany). The mice were locally irradiated in the head and neck region, including the SGs, while the body was protected by a 12 mm-thick lead block. This radiation dose is known to induce sufficient damage without compromising the general health of the animal and results in permanent, irreversible salivary dysfunction within 6 months of exposure (22 (link)).
