Med. Weter. 78 (11), 548-555, 2022
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| ROBERT SORNAT, KATARZYNA GRUSZKA, ANETA POLIŃSKA |
| The 3R rules in practice. Improvement of welfare, reduction of the number of animals and improvement of test methods in acute toxicity studies |
| Research studies in which animals are used contribute to the development and progress of biomedical sciences; however, usage of animals in research has long been the subject of ethical protests. Nevertheless, elimination of this type of research with animals is impossible at the present stage of our knowledge. The controversy of animal usage in laboratory was the beginning of efforts to improve their fate. The 3Rs principle, formulated in the late 1950s, is the ethical foundation for the activities of laboratories using laboratory animals; moreover, it defines the legal framework for animal research. The welfare of laboratory animals is the concern of people working in research centers that perform such tests, including the veterinarians working there, as well as people dealing with legal issues shaping the research market using laboratory animals. The activity of research centers is a kind of compromise ensuring the best conditions for animals, and at the same time ensuring optimal and correct performance of tests in accordance with research standards. The changes in the field of acute toxicity tests in the context of reducing the number of animals, their welfare and the implementation of alternative methods that have occurred in the last few decades can be traced on the example of a center that has been carrying out research in the GLP system since 2000, which is currently the Łukasiewicz Research Network - Institute of Industrial Organic Chemistry Branch Pszczyna (abbreviated Łukasiewicz - IPO), formerly the Institute of Industrial Organic Chemistry Branch Pszczyna. |
| Keywords: laboratory animals, alternative methods, 3Rs principle |