Panorama do uso de animais nas instituições de ensino superior do Brasil / Overview of the use of animals in higher education institutions in Brazil

O uso de animais para fins científicos no Brasil segue normativas emitidas pelo Conselho Nacional de Controle de Experimentação Animal (CONCEA) que visam garantir a utilização humanitária dos animais. O presente estudo objetivou avaliar o uso de animais nas universidades brasileiras, bem como a preocupação com o bem-estar animal pelos indivíduos responsáveis pelo seu uso e manutenção. Foi aplicado à discentes, docentes e técnicos de laboratório de todas as regiões do país um questionário semi-estruturado com questões abrangendo o uso de animais em laboratórios. Os resultados sugerem que as instituições pesquisadas buscam manter as condições ideais de bem-estar animal e atendem, em sua maioria, às resoluções normativas do CONCEA. Entretanto, foi observado que, especialmente em atividades de ensino, o uso de animais, em muitos casos, ainda é feito sem aprovação prévia pelos Comitês de Éticas na Utilização de Animais (CEUAs) institucionais. Além disso, foi observado que, embora a maior parte das instituições com biotérios para a manutenção de animais, muitos reconhecem que estes biotérios não atendem às demandas, demonstrando que a falta de investimentos em infra-estrutura cria um viés que impede que a legislação nacional seja completamente cumprida.(AU)

The animals use for scientific purposes in Brazil follows regulations issued by the National Council for the Control of Animal Experimentation (CONCEA) that aim to guarantee the humanitarian use of animals. The present study aimed to evaluate the use of animals in Brazilian universities, as well as the concern for animal welfare by the individuals responsible for their use and maintenance. A semi-structured questionnaire with questions covering the use of animals in laboratories was applied to students, teachers and laboratory technicians from all regions of the country. The results suggest that the researched institutions seek to maintain the ideal conditions of animal welfare and attend, in the majority, to the normative resolutions of CONCEA. However, it was observed that, especially in teaching activities, the use of animals, in many cases, is still done without prior approval by the Institutional Comitees of Ethics in the Use of Animals (CEUAs). In addition, it was observed that, although most institutions have animal bioterium for animals maintenance, many recognize that these bioterium do not meet the demands, demonstrating that the lack of investments in infrastructure creates a bias that prevents the legislation national legislation from being completely fulfilled.(AU)

Panorama do uso de animais nas instituições de ensino superior do Brasil / Overview of the use of animals in higher education institutions in Brazil

O uso de animais para fins científicos no Brasil segue normativas emitidas pelo Conselho Nacional de Controle de Experimentação Animal (CONCEA) que visam garantir a utilização humanitária dos animais. O presente estudo objetivou avaliar o uso de animais nas universidades brasileiras, bem como a preocupação com o bem-estar animal pelos indivíduos responsáveis pelo seu uso e manutenção. Foi aplicado à discentes, docentes e técnicos de laboratório de todas as regiões do país um questionário semi-estruturado com questões abrangendo o uso de animais em laboratórios. Os resultados sugerem que as instituições pesquisadas buscam manter as condições ideais de bem-estar animal e atendem, em sua maioria, às resoluções normativas do CONCEA. Entretanto, foi observado que, especialmente em atividades de ensino, o uso de animais, em muitos casos, ainda é feito sem aprovação prévia pelos Comitês de Éticas na Utilização de Animais (CEUAs) institucionais. Além disso, foi observado que, embora a maior parte das instituições com biotérios para a manutenção de animais, muitos reconhecem que estes biotérios não atendem às demandas, demonstrando que a falta de investimentos em infra-estrutura cria um viés que impede que a legislação nacional seja completamente cumprida.

The animals use for scientific purposes in Brazil follows regulations issued by the National Council for the Control of Animal Experimentation (CONCEA) that aim to guarantee the humanitarian use of animals. The present study aimed to evaluate the use of animals in Brazilian universities, as well as the concern for animal welfare by the individuals responsible for their use and maintenance. A semi-structured questionnaire with questions covering the use of animals in laboratories was applied to students, teachers and laboratory technicians from all regions of the country. The results suggest that the researched institutions seek to maintain the ideal conditions of animal welfare and attend, in the majority, to the normative resolutions of CONCEA. However, it was observed that, especially in teaching activities, the use of animals, in many cases, is still done without prior approval by the Institutional Comitees of Ethics in the Use of Animals (CEUAs). In addition, it was observed that, although most institutions have animal bioterium for animals maintenance, many recognize that these bioterium do not meet the demands, demonstrating that the lack of investments in infrastructure creates a bias that prevents the legislation national legislation from being completely fulfilled.

Physiological indicators of animal welfare / Indicadores fisiológicos de bem-estar animal

Para assegurar o bem-estar em animais mantidos em cativeiro e fazendas é necessário a avaliação apropriada do bem-estar destes animais, de modo a evitar manejo inapropriado e manter boas condições de alojamento. O uso de indicadores fisiológicos é encorajado, uma vez que estes são métodos quantitativos e não subjetivos. Entretanto, a avaliação de bem-estar assegurado usando ferramentas fisiológicas é difícil,uma vez que não há perfis fisiológicos claros ligados a esse estado. Quando utilizamos indicadores fisiológicos de estresse e dor, é preciso ter cautela na interpretação dos resultados bem como aplicar uma avaliação multi critério. Essa revisão sintetiza as premissas, as aplicações e a complexidade do uso de indicadores fisiológicos na avaliação do bem-estar animal.(AU)

The maintenance of ensured welfare in farm and captive animals depends on appropriate assessment of their welfare state in order to avoid inappropriate management and to maintain good housing conditions. The use of physiological indicators is encouraged, because they are quantitative and not subjective approaches. However, the assessment of ensured welfare using physiological tools is difficult, because there are no clear physiological profiles linked to this state. When we use physiological indicators of stress and pain to assess impaired welfare the interpretation of the results must be cautious and must apply a multicriteria assessment. This review summarizes the premises, applications and complexity of the use of physiological indicators in the assessment of animal welfare.(AU)

Physiological indicators of animal welfare / Indicadores fisiológicos de bem-estar animal

Para assegurar o bem-estar em animais mantidos em cativeiro e fazendas é necessário a avaliação apropriada do bem-estar destes animais, de modo a evitar manejo inapropriado e manter boas condições de alojamento. O uso de indicadores fisiológicos é encorajado, uma vez que estes são métodos quantitativos e não subjetivos. Entretanto, a avaliação de bem-estar assegurado usando ferramentas fisiológicas é difícil,uma vez que não há perfis fisiológicos claros ligados a esse estado. Quando utilizamos indicadores fisiológicos de estresse e dor, é preciso ter cautela na interpretação dos resultados bem como aplicar uma avaliação multi critério. Essa revisão sintetiza as premissas, as aplicações e a complexidade do uso de indicadores fisiológicos na avaliação do bem-estar animal.

The maintenance of ensured welfare in farm and captive animals depends on appropriate assessment of their welfare state in order to avoid inappropriate management and to maintain good housing conditions. The use of physiological indicators is encouraged, because they are quantitative and not subjective approaches. However, the assessment of ensured welfare using physiological tools is difficult, because there are no clear physiological profiles linked to this state. When we use physiological indicators of stress and pain to assess impaired welfare the interpretation of the results must be cautious and must apply a multicriteria assessment. This review summarizes the premises, applications and complexity of the use of physiological indicators in the assessment of animal welfare.

Acute fluoxetine treatment increases aggressiveness in juvenile matrinxã (Brycon amazonicus).

Fluoxetine (FLX) is a selective serotonin (5-HT) reuptake inhibitor known for its effects modifying aggressiveness, personality traits, and anxiety-like behaviors. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the influence of the acute treatment, by immersion, with FLX on aggressive behavior of resident Brycon amazonicus fish. Fish pretreated with FLX presented an increase in aggressiveness, evidenced by the increase on the number of bites and chases against the intruder and a decrease in latency for the first attack, when compared to control fish. Together with previous studies, these results show the complexity of the neural modulation of the aggressive behavior in fish by 5-HTergic system.

Social challenge increases cortisol and hypothalamic monoamine levels in matrinxã (Brycon amazonicus).

The neural circuitry for social behavior and aggression appears to be evolutionarily conserved across the vertebrate subphylum and involves a complex neural network that includes the hypothalamus as a key structure. In the present study, we evaluated the changes in monoamine levels in the hypothalamus and on serum cortisol and plasma glucose of resident matrinxã (Brycon amazonicus) submitted to a social challenge (introduction of an intruder in their territory). The fight promoted a significant increase in hypothalamic 5-HT, NA and DA levels and on the metabolites 5-HIAA and DOPAC, and decreased 5-HIAA/5-HT and DOPAC/DA ratios in resident fish. Furthermore, an increase in serum cortisol and plasma glucose was also observed after the fight. Resident fish presented a high aggressiveness even with increased 5-HT levels in the hypothalamus. The alteration in hypothalamic monoaminergic activity of matrinxã suggests that this diencephalic region is involved in aggression and stress modulation in fish; however, it does not exclude the participation of other brain areas not tested here.

Stress-induced antinociception in fish reversed by naloxone.

Pain perception in non-mammalian vertebrates such as fish is a controversial issue. We demonstrate that, in the fish Leporinus macrocephalus, an imposed restraint can modulate the behavioral response to a noxious stimulus, specifically the subcutaneous injection of 3% formaldehyde. In the first experiment, formaldehyde was applied immediately after 3 or 5 min of the restraint. Inhibition of the increase in locomotor activity in response to formaldehyde was observed, which suggests a possible restraint-induced antinociception. In the second experiment, the noxious stimulus was applied 0, 5, 10 and 15 min after the restraint, and both 3 and 5 min of restraint promoted short-term antinociception of approximately 5 min. In experiments 3 and 4, an intraperitoneal injection of naloxone (30 mg.kg(-1)) was administered 30 min prior to the restraint. The 3- minute restraint-induced antinociception was blocked by pretreatment with naloxone, but the corresponding 5-minute response was not. One possible explanation for this result is that an opioid and a non-preferential µ-opioid and/or non-opioid mechanism participate in this response modulation. Furthermore, we observed that both the 3- and 5- minutes restraint were severely stressful events for the organism, promoting marked increases in serum cortisol levels. These data indicate that the response to a noxious stimulus can be modulated by an environmental stressor in fish, as is the case in mammals. To our knowledge, this study is the first evidence for the existence of an endogenous antinociceptive system that is activated by an acute standardized stress in fish. Additionally, it characterizes the antinociceptive response induced by stress in terms of its time course and the opioid mediation, providing information for understanding the evolution of nociception modulation.

Dietary L-tryptophan alters aggression in juvenile matrinxã Brycon amazonicus.

This study evaluated the effect of dietary supplementation with L: -tryptophan (L-TRP), a serotonin precursor, on the aggressiveness of juvenile matrinxã Brycon amazonicus. Fish were kept in individual aquaria for 7 days receiving the diets: D1 (control: 0.47% of TRP), D2 (0.94% of TRP), D3 (1.88% of TRP), and D4 (3.76% of TRP). After this, they were grouped with an intruder fish to establish a resident-intruder relationship during periods of 20 min. Blood cortisol, glucose, chloride, sodium and calcium; hemoglobin, hematocrit, red blood cell count and volume; liver glycogen and lipids were measured. Territoriality had significant effect on the aggressiveness of matrinxã (the residents were more aggressive than intruders, P < 0.001) and tryptophan significantly affected their behavior. Fish fed with the D2 diet presented a longer latency until the first attack (P = 0.0069) and bit the intruder fewer times (P = 0.0136) during the period of observation, compared to the control group. The frequency of bites and chases after the first attack was not affected by the dietary supplementation of TRP. Physiological variables were not significantly affected by the diet, except for a moderate increase in cortisol level in fish fed with D2 diet after the fight, indicating slight activation of the hypothalamus-pituitary-interrenal axis. The results show that juvenile matrinxã have aggressive and territorial behavior and that a diet containing 9.4 g TRP kg(-1) alter their aggressiveness, without affecting the stress-related physiological parameters.