Table 2.

Animal experimental design.

Groups		Treatment on the week(s) indicated
		0–8 weeks	9 weeks	10–16 weeks
Intervention groups	Control	PW + PBS	PW + PBS	–
	Pb only	Pb only + PBS	PW + PBS	–
	Pb + DSA	Pb + DSA + PBS	PW + PBS	–
	Pb + DSB	Pb + DSB + PBS	PW + PBS	–
	Pb + Excipients	Pb + Excipients + PBS	PW + PBS	–
DMSA groups	High-dose DMSA	Pb + PBS	PW + H-DMSA + PBS	–
	Low-dose DMSA	Pb + PBS	PW + L-DMSA + PBS	–
Therapy groups	Control	PW	PW + PBS	PW + PBS
	Pb only	Pb	PW + PBS	PW + PBS
	Pb + DSA	Pb	PW + DSA + PBS	PW + DSA + PBS
	Pb + DSB	Pb	PW + DSB + PBS	PW + DSB + PBS
	Pb + Excipients	Pb	PW + Excipients + PBS	PW + Excipients + PBS

PBS, 0.3 sterile PBS solution once daily via gavage; PW, plain water for drinking; Pb, (CH₃COO)₂Pb⋅3H₂O at 1 g Pb/L in drinking water; DSA + PBS, half a tablet of dietary supplement A in 0.3 mL sterile PBS solution once daily via gavage; DSB + PBS, half a tablet of dietary supplement B in 0.3 mL sterile PBS solution once daily via gavage; Excipients + PBS, 62.5 mg microcrystalline cellulose, 6.25 mg low-substituted hydroxypropyl cellulose, 0.25 mg silicon dioxide, and 40 mg trehalose in 0.3 mL sterile PBS solution once daily via gavage; H-DMSA + PBS, 3 mg DMSA in 0.3 mL sterile PBS solution once daily via gavage; L-DMSA + PBS, 1.5 mg DMSA in 0.3 mL sterile PBS solution once daily via gavage. Mice were fasted for 12 h before Pb exposure and final sacrifice. The mice in the intervention groups were sacrificed at the end of the 9th week.