Progress in animal experimentation ethics: a case study from a Brazilian medical school and from the international medical literature

Abstract

CONCLUSIONS:The present work showed that in the last four decades major changes occurred in the guidelines dictating use of research animals occurred and they are being adopted by developing countries. Moreover, animal welfare concern in the scientific community preceded the introduction of journal guidelines for this purpose. Furthermore, in Brazil it was anticipated that laws were needed to protect animal research welfare from being not upheld.

Ethical to using Rats in the Scientific Researches

“…The most used species was a rat, followed by mice. However, several projects discussed a broad range of animals, like rabbits, bovines, pigs, snakes, goats, lizard, hamsters, embryonated eggs and other [1][2][3][4]. It has been figured that over 100 million animals are practiced in the world for research each year [11][12][13][14][15].…”

“…The most used species was a rat, followed by mice, notwithstanding, several projects mentioned a broad range of animals, like rabbits, bovines, pigs, snakes, goats, lizard, hamsters, embryonated eggs and other [1][2]. Their usage provided answers to questions about health and welfare.…”

“…People enjoy a healthier quality of life because of this progress, and the consequent development of new medicines and treatments. Despite the fact that, the use of animals in scientific and therapeutic research has been a subject of hot discussion for many years, it still needs more consideration [1][2][3][4]. No honest scientist desires to use animals or induce them unnecessary suffering if it can be bypassed, and therefore scientists admit controls on the use of animals in research.…”

Animal experimentation: A look into ethics, welfare and alternative methods

“…8 Animal experimentation is still necessary for certain teaching and research practices, since there is still no sufficient technology to replace it altogether, 2 but there has been a clear reduction in the number of studies involving animals over the last decades. 25 It is undeniable that in vivo animal experimentation has contributed to biological development and biomedical research, yet it is also associated with high production costs and strict ethical considerations. These limitations led to the development of a cost-effective ex vivo model that can effectively replace in vivo and in vitro models, thus contributing to animal welfare.…”

Instrumental and ethical aspects of experimental research with animal models

“…This guidance suggests that microorganisms, plants, eggs, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates are preferred in research, avoiding the use of animals of hot blood (4,11) . A case study conducted in a Brazilian university demonstrated that rats and mice are the most commonly used species in experimental research (12) . Research with live animal models should consider replacing species by another of lower rank in the zoological scale, the adoption of computerized methods or in vitro models as alternative.…”