Review
Toxicology
Francesca Caloni, Isabella De Angelis, Thomas Hartung
Summary: Alternative methods to animal use in toxicology are evolving, offering relevant and valid tests for drugs and chemicals. Integrated Approaches for Testing and Assessment (IATA) is a new strategy for solving complex toxicological endpoints, which requires the integration of diverse evidence streams.
ARCHIVES OF TOXICOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Medicine, Legal
Ronald L. Wange, Paul C. Brown, Karen L. Davis-Bruno
Summary: Traditional safety testing of pharmaceutical candidates relies on data from animal studies, but there are ethical implications in using animals for testing. FDA supports the 3Rs principles of replace, reduce, refine in animal usage. Ongoing efforts are being made to achieve the mission as humanely as possible in pharmaceutical development.
REGULATORY TOXICOLOGY AND PHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Joyce V. B. Borba, Vinicius M. Alves, Rodolpho C. Braga, Daniel R. Korn, Kirsten Overdahl, Arthur C. Silva, Steven U. S. Hall, Erik Overdahl, Nicole Kleinstreuer, Judy Strickland, David Allen, Carolina Horta Andrade, Eugene N. Muratov, Alexander Tropsha
Summary: Modern chemical toxicology is in need of reducing, refining, and replacing animal tests. In this study, a collection of computational models called STopTox was developed to predict the toxicity hazard of small organic molecules. The models were validated and shown to have high accuracy. A web portal was also established to assist scientists and regulators in identifying potential toxicants or non-toxicants in chemical libraries of interest.
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES
(2022)
Review
Neurosciences
Garikoitz Azkona, Rosario Sanchez-Pernaute
Summary: Animal models are crucial in neuroscience research, but there are recurring issues in data collection and interpretation, a lack of biomarkers, and an over-reliance on mice, leading to low translation efficiency. Non-human primates, with their higher brain complexity and similarity to humans, can provide more relevant translational information. Therefore, resources for training, education, husbandry, and data sharing should be prioritized to improve translational efficiency.
PROGRESS IN NEUROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Physiology
Augusto Vitale, Laura Ricceri
Summary: The 3Rs principle is widely recognized as the methodological and ethical foundation of contemporary animal research, but there are some issues in its application, including the unique characteristics and level of applicability of each "R" and the variations in how they are applied. It is suggested to establish a network or virtual platform of evaluators to facilitate a better understanding and practical application of the 3Rs principle by researchers and evaluators.
FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Herwig Grimm, Nikola Biller-Andorno, Thorsten Buch, Maik Dahlhoff, Gail Davies, Christopher R. Cederroth, Otto Maissen, Wilma Lukas, Elisa Passini, Elin Tornqvist, I. Anna S. Olsson, Jenny Sandstrom
Summary: The 3Rs principle is gaining widespread support in the international research community, but its effectiveness in addressing moral challenges of animal use in research is being questioned. This paper aims to examine whether the 3Rs can still guide the morally acceptable use of animals for scientific purposes.
FRONTIERS IN VETERINARY SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Wentao Xie, Marcel Kordt, Rupert Palme, Eberhard Grambow, Brigitte Vollmar, Dietmar Zechner
Summary: Experiments on animals provide valuable information for improving life expectancy and quality, but it is essential to assess the distress caused to animals to ensure their welfare. In this study, adjusted body weight and fecal corticosterone metabolites concentration were found to be effective methods to measure distress in mice with large subcutaneous tumors.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Vaughan Black, Andrew Fenton, Elisabeth H. Ormandy
Summary: This paper argues that Canada's current oversight system for animal-based science needs significant reform to align with progressive legislation in other countries and prioritize the replacement of animals as the best scientific practice. The current system not only fails to incentivize the replacement of sentient animals effectively, but also inadequately protects animals bred, harmed, and killed for scientific purposes. The paper outlines the shortcomings of the Canadian Council on Animal Care and emphasizes the need for national legislation similar to other jurisdictions. The conclusion suggests that while legislation alone cannot guarantee the replacement of sentient animals in science, it is a prerequisite for significant progress in animal protection and the adoption of non-animal methods.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Viola Galligioni, Dania Movia, Daniel Ruiz-Perez, Jose Manuel Sanchez-Morgado, Adriele Prina-Mello
Summary: The 3Rs principle has been an essential guide for more ethical biomedical and regulatory research. It has been incorporated into European Directive 63/2010/EU with the goal of eventually replacing live animal procedures. Although 3Rs Centers have been established across Europe, Ireland lacks such a center and has been slow in implementing the principles, particularly in terms of replacement.
Review
Toxicology
Mark A. Pemberton, Ian Kimber
Summary: This article discusses whether methyl methacrylate (MMA) should be classified as a respiratory sensitizer. The author argues that there is a lack of persuasive evidence supporting this classification and highlights the challenges in establishing causation in occupational asthma.
CRITICAL REVIEWS IN TOXICOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Medicine, Legal
Patricia Ceger, David Allen, Amy Blankinship, Neepa Choksi, Amber Daniel, William P. Eckel, Jon Hamm, Ethan Harwood, Tamara Johnson, Nicole Kleinstreuer, Catherine S. Sprankle, James Truax, Michael Lowit
Summary: The USEPA conducted a retrospective data evaluation to explore the possibility of using fewer fish species to support conventional pesticide risk assessments. The results suggest that it may be possible to use less than three fish species for ecological risk assessments of conventional pesticides.
REGULATORY TOXICOLOGY AND PHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Tarapong Srisongkram
Summary: A stacked ensemble quantitative read-across structure-activity relationship algorithm was developed for predicting skin irritation toxicity, and its reliability and accuracy were validated using validation and test datasets.
CHEMICAL RESEARCH IN TOXICOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Miriam A. Zemanova
Summary: Safeguarding animal welfare in research is crucial for ethical and legislative compliance as well as the integrity of scientific data. However, very few universities offer specific courses on animal welfare, and these courses are often optional rather than required. There is a need for universities to provide more formal and mandatory education on animal welfare to better prepare future researchers studying and managing wildlife.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Natalia Fernandez-Pampin, Juan Jose Gonzalez Plaza, Alejandra Garcia-Gomez, Elisa Pena, Carlos Rumbo, Rocio Barros, Sonia Martel-Martin, Santiago Aparicio, Juan Antonio Tamayo-Ramos
Summary: This study conducted a comparative human toxicity assessment between newly developed Mn3O4 nanoparticles with enhanced electrochemical properties and their precursor material. The results showed that both nanomaterials induced ROS in cells and had differences in terms of surface area and electrochemical properties. Skin irritation potential was not observed for the studied nanomaterials. The findings highlight the importance of using different human in vitro models to understand the potential impact of nanomaterials on different exposure routes.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Warangkana Arpornchayanon, Subhawat Subhawa, Kanjana Jaijoy, Nirush Lertprasertsuk, Noppamas Soonthornchareonnon, Seewaboon Sireeratawong
Summary: This study investigated the acute and chronic toxicities of the Triphala formula in a rat model. The results showed that long-term use of Triphala in rats is safe, with no toxic effects observed.