Rowan A N
Fundam Appl Toxicol. 1984 Aug;4(4):508-16. doi: 10.1016/0272-0590(84)90039-3.
Animal welfare and antivivisection groups have protested against animal research for the last 150 years. However, they have recently (ca. 20 years ago) injected a new element into the debate by pressing for the development and application of alternatives. By this, they mean the development of techniques which could replace or reduce the use of laboratory animals, or the refinement of existing techniques to reduce animal suffering. Animal welfare concerns have focused on toxicology testing in particular. Of course, the state of the art in toxicology had advanced considerably in the last 20 years and some of the changes have resulted in a reduction of the use of animals. Nevertheless, the animal welfare movement seeks a more specific program which will review testing guidelines and support the development of new techniques which will reduce or eliminate animal use. Carcinogen detection, Draize eye irritancy testing, and LD50 testing are three specific areas where the pressure for alternatives development has been strongest. The prospects for alternatives in each of these three areas are briefly discussed together with one or two comments about possible future trends.
在过去的150年里，动物福利和反活体解剖组织一直在抗议动物研究。然而，他们最近（大约20年前）通过敦促开发和应用替代方法，为这场辩论注入了新的元素。他们所说的替代方法，是指开发能够替代或减少实验动物使用的技术，或者改进现有技术以减轻动物痛苦。动物福利问题尤其集中在毒理学测试上。当然，毒理学的技术水平在过去20年里有了很大进步，其中一些变化导致了实验动物使用量的减少。尽管如此，动物福利运动寻求一个更具体的计划，该计划将审查测试指南，并支持开发能够减少或消除动物使用的新技术。致癌物检测、德莱兹眼刺激试验和半数致死量测试是开发替代方法压力最大的三个具体领域。本文将简要讨论这三个领域中替代方法的前景，并对未来可能的趋势发表一两条评论。
