The Controversy over Animal Use in the Practical Courses of Pharmacology in Health Science Schools

Methods and Findings in Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology
Vol. 25, Suppl. A, 2003
ISSN 0379-0355
Copyright 2003 Prous Science, S.A.
CCC: 0379-0355/2003
http://www.prous.com

The Controversy over Animal Use in the Practical Courses of Pharmacology in Health Science Schools

I. Bellido, J.E. Baños, M.V. Clos, M.D. Ivorra, J.J. Meana and S. Sánchez

Teaching and Education Group, Spanish Society of Pharmacology

The use of animals, vertebrates and invertebrates, and plant material, is considered to be a necessary part of the training of medical doctors, pharmacologists, veterinarians and biologists. Although this may be supplemented with videos, models and computer simulations, these cannot entirely replace the use of living or killed material. We ensure that any animal killed for teaching or research purposes has been treated humanely, that stress and suffering are avoided, that a minimum number of animals is used, and that students are fully prepared, by previous study, to take maximum advantage of opportunities involving the use of the animals. The use of live animals in teaching and research is confined to studies that are within the legislation governing scientific procedures on animals. Our country must follow the 86/609/CEE European Council Directive (24/11/1986, L 358, 18/12/1986), the 223/1988 Spanish Royal Decree (14/3/1988) and others (B.O.E. 67, 18/3/1988; B.O.E. 250 and 251, 18-19/10/ 1989; and B.O.E. 256, 25/10/1990), relating to legal and administrative dispositions and regulations about the use and housing of animals for research and other scientific purposes. These General Dispositions have been approved by all the Spanish Autonomic Communities during the last 10 years. The Andalusian Autonomic Community specified all these rules in the B.O.J.A. 55, 11/5/2002, including, as well as the other Spanish Autonomic Communities, the existence of an Autonomic Committee of Animal Research responsible for the examination, consent, follow-up and supervision of all animal experimental procedures related to research and teaching.

It is interesting to note that all this regulation concerns vertebrates and not non-vertebrates. This may be a point for debate in the future. It is also curious that the management and control procedures for the use of animals in research and teaching depends on the Agriculture and Fishing Autonomic Office, at least in the Andalusian Autonomic Community. The Education and Culture Autonomic Office and the Healthy Autonomic Office are not involved. In general, it is similar for other Autonomic Communities, the Spanish Government, and other countries such as France and Portugal, who made all these rules depending on the Agriculture, Fishing and Food Ministry. However, in the United States, the United Kingdom or Australia, the practice for the care and use of animals for scientific purposes is made in accordance with Animal Welfare Act, which depends on the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Public Health Service Policy on humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, which includes the Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW), and locally, under the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) created by each institution. We lack the direct control of the Health Ministry and the Science and Technology Ministry. This may be another point of debate in the future.

Animal care and use is actually based on the Three 'R's Principle: Replacement, Reduction and Refinement. Conscious and living vertebrates must be "replaced" by non-sentient alternatives. A lot of scientific effort has been devoted to developing new, non-animal techniques that can be used in experiments instead of animals. In the case of teaching, films showing techniques and computer simulated pharmacology experiments may be useful for the student and may replace the constant use of animals. "Reduction" in the number of animals needed to obtain information of a given amount and precision can be carried out in many ways. Some of these ways include: carrying out a proper previous statistical analysis of the proposed experiment to determine the exact number of animals needed; correctly designing the experiment; and carrying out newly designed tests, e.g., the Fixed Dose Procedure instead of the LD₅₀ test, which uses fewer animals with none receiving a fatal dose of the drug/poison. The experiment must be carried out correctly by a trained expert. It is possible to use genetically identical animals in order to prevent unreliable results due to genetic variations between individual animals and thus makes it possible to get reliable answers using fewer animals. However, a reduction in the number of animals used can also be achieved if the animals are born and bred in ultra-clean conditions and are free of any infections or illnesses that might otherwise interfere with the experimental results. The procedures must be "refined" to reduce the incidence or severity of suffering experienced by the animals being used. Research involving animals has to be designed so that any distress or suffering involved is kept to a minimum. The Three Rs are widely accepted by the international scientific community. Many of those who disagree with the use of animals in scientific procedures also agree with the principle of the Three Rs, but are concerned that they are not always implemented. Some anti-vivisectionists dispute the Three Rs concept on the basis that both reduction and refinement tacitly acknowledge that animals should continue to be used.

Laboratory animals spend most of their lives simply living in the animal house and not being used in an experiment, and as such, it is important to consider their living conditions. What animals need is not always the same as what people think they need, so scientists must study which environments different animals prefer. In the past, laboratory animals would often be kept alone in barren cages. Actually, we prefer to keep animals in social groups, preferably in large cages or floor pens, with things for them to play with (e.g., rabbits would be given bedding material, boxes and tubes; rodents like to have nesting material; dogs like running in groups and having human company, monkeys like branches to climb, swings, ropes and platforms). Their diet can also be made much more interesting with fruit and other tidbits. Some of these can be mixed in with wood shavings so that the animals have to forage for their food, a favorite activity.

We must remember that students cause stress for the animals and for themselves while working with animals or watching the experts work. The possibility of working in a separate laboratory or in a special room where the student may observe the experiment without contact with the animals could also be considered.

Many areas of the study of animals can only be carried out using living material, as is the case with animal physiology, behavior, pharmacokinetics, pharmacotoxicity, evolution and ecology, among others. The study of tissue function in vivo makes an essential contribution to medicine and clinical veterinary science, while post-mortem dissection is required to develop skills necessary to biologically-related careers in disciplines such as physiology, parasitology and the animal sciences, which contribute directly to human health, animal welfare and the production of food for the human population.

The welfare of animals used in research is very important. There are good ethical, scientific, legal and economic reasons for making sure that animals are looked after properly and used in minimum numbers. The people who work in laboratories--scientists, veterinarians and animal caregivers--are human beings like everyone else and have no desire to mistreat animals. For many of them it is their primary responsibility to look after the animals, and they work with laboratory animals because they are animal lovers. Many are also actively involved in developing scientific methods to reduce the need for animals or replace them entirely. Good science and good animal welfare go hand in hand. If an animal is suffering stress or pain it could affect the results of the research. So it makes good scientific sense to house animals in the best possible conditions and make sure they get the best possible care from skilled and experienced caregivers.

The extent and nature of the use of animals clearly differs widely in the pre-clinical and clinical undergraduate preparation and in the different degree courses. They may involve some work with animals, animal tissues or animal products. Practical work is an integral part of a course and a student will not be permitted to pass a course in which practical work has not been completed to an adequate standard. University regulations state that "permission to sit degree examinations is granted only to those students who have satisfactorily completed the work of the class". All components of such laboratory classes are included, because it is believed that they make an important contribution to learning about biology, and students are expected to take part in all of them. Students should therefore inquire about the nature of practical work that they will be required to undertake before they enroll for a particular course. The views of students who are not willing to participate in any particular practical class will be respected, but such students should realize that the material taught in this way may be covered in Class or University examinations.

More than 2,666,442 animals were used in research and teaching in 2001. Eighty five percent were rats, mice and other rodents, 12% fish, amphibians, reptiles and birds including fertilized hen's eggs; 1.4% small mammals other than rodents, mostly rabbits and ferrets, 1.4% sheep, cows, pigs and other large mammals; 0.4% dogs and cats; and 0.1% monkeys, such as marmosets and macaques. Twice as many animals were used in 1970. This 50% reduction in animal use was achieved while new drug development and other therapies for human and animals increased by 300%. We are trying to make improvements; we are the animal species responsible for the control and care of animal and plant life on Earth. It is our belief that properly trained people will develop respect for living organisms, will be sensitive to ethical issues, and will contribute to increasing the knowledge of the general public regarding living organisms and the environment.

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Methods and Findings in Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology Vol. 25, Suppl. A, 2003
ISSN 0379-0355 Copyright 2003 Prous Science, S.A. CCC: 0379-0355/2003 http://www.prous.com