Hematologicalassays
Immediately after blood sampling, the K2EDTA-treated blood was used to examine hematological parameters. The red blood cell count (RBC) was analyzed in duplicate for each sample using a Neubauer haemocytometer after dilution with Grower’s solution (Voigt, 2000). Haematocrit values (Ht) were measured in duplicate by placing K2EDTA-treated blood into glass capillary tubes and centrifuging them for 5 min by microhaematocrit centrifugation. The hemoglobin (Hb) content was measured using the photometrical cyanohaemoglobin method.