The use of alternative approaches in environmental toxicology research - moving towards the 3Rs principle in animal experimentation

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About this Research Topic

Submission deadlines

  1. Manuscript Summary Submission Deadline 11 March 2025 | Manuscript Submission Deadline 29 June 2025

  2. This Research Topic is still accepting articles.

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Background

Environmental toxicology looks for the effects of environmental contaminants on organisms, providing conclusions about exposure implications on their health status and related ecosystems. The use of animals has been central to this research field, supporting clarifications on contaminants regarding the relevance of exposure pathways, toxicokinetics, mechanisms of action (from cell to animal’s behaviour), and triggering discussions on their repercussions on populations. However, public concern about animal welfare during experimentation has increased significantly in the past decade, and so the number of publications addressing it. The use of alternative approaches to animal experimentation has been increasingly important in this research field (paralleling with others), related to the 3Rs principle (replacement, reduction, refinement), as it addresses ethical concerns while improving research outcomes.

Therefore, alternative approaches to animal use have been gaining popularity, comprising: cells and ex-vivo testing; in-vivo assessments with non-vertebrate models (as Caenorhabditis elegans) or some developmental stages of vertebrates; in-silico studies. The relevance of the environmental toxicology research field that can support regulatory work and promote environmental/human health, combined with the pertinence of implementing research under the 3Rs, motivated this Research Topic.

The use of live animal models raises ethical issues to address environmental toxicology, since they are subjected to toxicants that may have negative outcomes in health, well-being and potentially their survival. However, there are alternative methodologies to address this topic which are in tune with the 3R principle of animal experimentation.

This Research Topic will include articles that address environmental toxicology research by making use of animal models that comply with 3Rs principle.

The 3R principle can be defined as:

1. Replacement: This refers to methods that avoid or replace the use of animals in experiments. Alternatives might include in vitro testing, computer modelling, or using lower organisms like bacteria when possible.

2. Reduction: This principle focuses on using fewer animals to achieve the same scientific objective. Researchers are encouraged to use only the minimum number of animals necessary to obtain valid results, which can be achieved through better experimental design and statistical analysis.

3. Refinement: This principle involves modifying experimental procedures to minimize pain, suffering, and distress for the animals used. This could include improvements in housing, handling, and medical care, as well as using less invasive techniques.

Types of manuscript: original research, reviews, mini-reviews, methods, and brief research reports.

Themes welcomed, but not limited to:

● The use of ex-vivo methods to address the impact of contaminants in biological processes or metabolic pathways.

● The use of in vivo models that comply with the 3Rs principle (Caenorhabditis elegans) as to address the biological effects of relevant environmental contaminants

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

  • Data Report
  • Editorial
  • General Commentary
  • Hypothesis and Theory
  • Methods
  • Mini Review
  • Opinion
  • Original Research
  • Perspective

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

  • Data Report
  • Editorial
  • General Commentary
  • Hypothesis and Theory
  • Methods
  • Mini Review
  • Opinion
  • Original Research
  • Perspective
  • Policy and Practice Reviews
  • Policy Brief
  • Review
  • Study Protocol
  • Systematic Review
  • Technology and Code

Keywords: animal testing, cells, ex-vivo, in-vivo, in-silico, environmental contaminants, toxicity, biomarkers

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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Manuscripts can be submitted to this Research Topic via the main journal or any other participating journal.

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