a clear trendp < 0.05
Forty-eight hours later, the animals that received ET-EPC-EX treatment showed a clear trend towards faster removal times compared to saline controls (saline-treated mice: 150 ± 21 s; ET-EPC-EX-treated mice: 90 ± 18 s, p < 0.05, n = 8–9/group), suggesting partial functional rescue.