REDUCING THE USE OF ANIMALS IN RESEARCH: TRENDS AND CHALLENGES IN ANIMAL EXPERIMENTATION BETWEEN 2016 AND 2021

Abstract

Introduction: In recent years, significant efforts have been directed towards reducing, refining, and replacing the use of nonhuman animals in research and teaching. Understanding the distribution and frequency of use of these animals is essential to develop indicators that guide these practices. Objective: The present study aimed to describe the frequency of use of animal experimentation models between 2016 and 2021, in addition to investigating potential temporal correlations. Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted, accessing data from the public database of the National Center for Biotechnology Information. The data refer to mice, rats, rabbits, guinea pigs, monkeys, fish and dogs. Statistical analysis included Spearman's test to assess correlations, with a significance level of 5%. Results: Mice stood out as the most used models, representing 57.73% of the associations, followed by rats (26.27%) and fish (8.40%). Significant negative correlations were identified for rats (rho = -0.92), rabbits (rho = -0.97) and guinea pigs (rho = -0.96), while a positive correlation was observed for monkeys (rho = 0.91). Conclusion: The results indicate a reduction in the use of some non-primate species associated with basic research, along with an increase in the use of primates. This change highlights the need for policies and practices that promote substitution and refinement in animal experimentation, aiming at animal welfare and scientific efficiency.