Humane endpoints
Applying humane endpoints should seriously be considered when animal experiments involve severe pain and suffering.
Several definitions are being used to describe a humane endpoint:
- The earliest indicator in an animal of pain, distress, suffering, or impending death on the basis of which an animal is killed (definition OECD);
- “The point at which an experimental animal's pain and/or distress is terminated, minimized or reduced, by taking actions such as killing the animal humanely, terminating a painful procedure, or giving treatment to relieve pain and/or distress” (definition CCAC).
- 'The limits placed on the amount of pain and distress any laboratory animal will be allowed to experience within the context of the scientific endpoints to be met’ (Wallace 2000)
- “The earliest indicator in an animal experiment of (potential) pain and/or distress that, within the context of the scientific endpoints to be met, can be used to such actions as humane killing or terminating or alleviating the painful and/or stressful procedure.” (Hendriksen 2009)
What are major differences between the various definitions:
- ‘….potential pain….’ (Hendriksen): indicates that also non-clinical endpoints might be used such as pre-clinical parameters such as hormone level changes, biochemical parameters or gene up/down regulations as an indicator for pain/distress later on in the disease process or even physiological parameters such as induction of antibody titres.
- ‘….taken actions such as…’ (CCAC, Hendriksen): alleviation of pain/distress or terminating the painful/stressful procedure are also considered to be a humane endpoint.
- ‘…within the context of the scientific endpoints….” (Wallace, Hendriksen): applying humane endpoints should be always be balanced against the scientific endpoint(s).
