Some Alternative Methods to the Use of Laboratory Animals in Medical Research

Abstract

Experimental animals have long been used for research and educational purposes. However, in recent years, ethical debates regarding the rights of animals to life have also become important. It is advocated that animal experiments can be carried out for scientific goals that can contribute to human and animal welfare in the long term and in cases where there are no alternative methods. The principles of “replacement”, “reduction”, and “refinement”, known as the 3R rule, have been updated as 4R with the addition of the “responsibility” principle. These principles provide basic guidance for the ethical use of animals in scientific experiments. Techniques that can be alternatives to animal experiments in research and biological effect studies to test synthesized drug candidate compounds and various chemicals have been developed. In vitro cell culture techniques and bioimaging methods are very important alternatives to in vivo animal experiments. The micro-dose technique is another alternative method that reveals the effects of drug candidate compounds on volunteer individuals at very low doses without using animals. Software databases and in silico computer simulations are also gaining importance in research institutions as an alternative to animal experiments. In this review, the fundamentals of animal research ethics and emerging alternatives to reduce animal use in medical experiments were discussed.