This document provides information about screening methods in pharmacology, including care and handling of laboratory animals, breeding techniques, regulations, and alternatives to animal studies. It discusses general principles of animal handling and describes methods for handling common laboratory animals like mice, rats, rabbits, guinea pigs and hamsters. It also summarizes breeding techniques including in-breeding, out-breeding, and regulations and guidelines from the CPCSEA. Finally, it discusses the 3R concept of alternatives to animal studies, which are reduction, replacement and refinement.

1. Screening Methods in
Pharmacology
As per PCI ( 3-2 ) syllabus.
Course – B . pharmacy .
JNTUH
B . Tanuja
B . Pharmacy final year student.
SCP

2. UNIT – I
INDEX
1. Care and Handling of laboratory animals.
2. Breeding techniques of laboratory animals.
3. Regulations for laboratory animals.
4. CPCSEA Guidelines.
5. Alternative to animal studies.

3. 1. Care and Handling of laboratory
animals
 It is generally essential for the students belonging to
different fields like zoology , veterinary medicines etc.
 This method is mainly helpful to observe, take care,
dissect and experiment the laboratory animals.
 It is used for the development of human medicines
involved in the treatment like Chemotherapy, Polio ,
Diphtheria etc.
 It is also used in the development of veterinary
medicines.
 The government of respective countries have
established several rules and regulations concerned
with the use of laboratory animals.

4. General principle
It requires safe and responsible handling.
Handling and physical control of small and
large animals should be performed.
Institution should employ people who are
trained pharmacologists, veterinary scientists
etc for handling of laboratory animals.

5. Methods of handling laboratory animals
The laboratory animals which are commonly
used in the experiments are –
a. Mice
b. Rats
c. Rabbits
d. Guinea pig
e. Hamsters

6. a. Mice
 Mice can bite if mishandled so , they should be
handled carefully without making any sudden or quick
movement.
 Place mice on a surface where they can be gripped
easily.
 Holding the tail base securely, pull back gently to
stimulate the animal to grip.
 Now , use the other hand to grasp the loose skin at the
back of the neck between the thumb and forefinger.
 The mice is now ready to get injected or examined.

7. b. Rats
Rats are quiet and non-aggressive animal .
Hence , they can be controlled easily.
They bite only when they are under-stress or
in pain.
Handling of rats are similar to that of mice.
However , the tail base should be grasped
carefully.

8. c. Rabbits
Rabbits are susceptible to stress hands . So ,they
should be always handled in calm and confident
manner.
Rabbits are highly susceptible to lumber
dislocation and also they gets paralyzed easily.
Rabbits should be handled gently by placing one
hand under the chest and the other hand
supporting back legs of the animal securely.
Rabbits should never be carried or lifted by their
ears as it causes pain to them.

9. d. Guinea pig
These are small animals with short ears and no
tail.
They get scared easily . Hence , they should be
handled quickly , carefully and easily.
They usually don’t bite and produce sound to
prevent stress.
For handling guinea pig , the animal should be
approached in a calm and confident manner.
Place one hand under the chest and the other
hand supporting the back.

10. e. Hamsters
Hamsters are animals that looks like large rat
but with no tail.
They should be handled in a manner similar to
that of Rats.
They should be placed over a bench or table
for handling as they often try to escape and
get injured.

11. 2. Breeding techniques of laboratory
animals
Animal breeding is referred to the process of
reproduction of animals under controlled
conditions.
Breeding techniques are used to improve as well
as to produce better animal breeds .
Breeding techniques can be mainly categorized
into two types –
(1) In-breeding
(2) Out-breeding

12. (1) Inbreeding
 Inbreeding refers to the process of mating of related
animals .
 This process involves crossing of closely related animals
like mating between father and daughter , brother and
sister .
 Inbreeding is most commonly used in laboratory rats
and mice and some breeds of dogs .
 Inbreeding can be mainly classified into two types –
(a) Close breeding
(b) Line breeding

13. (a) Close breeding
It refers to the mating of male and female
child of the same parent ( full brother and full
sister ).
Female parent with her male child (son) and
Male parent with his female child (daughter) .
It is the most intense form of inbreeding and it
should be employed only if their both the
parents are of high quality .

14. (b) Line breeding
It refers to the mating of related animals that
don’t belong to the same parent .
In other words , the breeding of animal that
share common ancestors is termed as Line
breeding .

15. (2) Out breeding
Out breeding refers to mating of unrelated
animals i.e. individuals from different
populations , sub – species , species .
It is mainly divided into four types –
(a) out crossing
(b) cross breeding
(c) species hybridization
(d) Grading up

16. (a) Out crossing
It refers to the mating of unrelated animals of
the same breed .
The aim behind this breeding technique is to
mate unrelated animals considered to be
genetically superior for certain traits as well as
to introduce new genetic material to the
family .

17. (b) Cross breeding
 It refers to the mating of animals of different breeds .
 Cross breeding generally results in the production of
new breeds .
 They have improved traits because the dominant genes
have masked the undesirable , recessive genes .
 It can be further classified into three types –
a. Crisscrossing
b. Triple crossing
c. Back crossing .

18. (c) Species hybridization
 It involves mating of animals from different strains , species
etc.
 Due to the crossing of these unrelated animals , the
resulted progeny acquires relatively more strength than its
parent .
(d) Grading up
 It refers to the mating of animals of two different breeds .
 Here , the animals of an indigenous breed is mated by an
improved pure breed of several generations.
 Grading up is continuous use of purebred sires of the same
breed in a grade herd .

19. 3 . Regulations for laboratory animals
 The Animal Welfare Act (AWA), ensures minimum
standard of care and treatment that should be provided
to certain animal breeds for research , commercial sale
etc .
 It provides suitable diet and environment to the
laboratory animals .
 It also protects the animals from pain , sufferings and
diseases .
 It mainly focuses on -
i. Freedom from hunger and thirst .
ii. Freedom from discomfort .
iii. Freedom from pain , injury and disease .

20. 4 . CPCSEA guidelines
 CPCSEA stands for the Committee for the Purpose of
Control Supervision of Experiments on Animals .
 It is a statutory committee of Department of Animal
Husbandry and Dairying ( DAHD ) , Ministry of Fisheries
constituted under the PCA Act, 1960.
 CPCSEA is a duty bound to take all necessary measures to
ensure that animals are not subjected to unnecessary
pain or suffering before , during (or) after experimenting
on them .
 The main aim of these guidelines is to promote the
human care of animals used in research .

21.  Veterinary care
 it requires daily observation of adopted animals by a
veterinarian .
 Quarantine –
(a) For small lab. animals = 1 week to 1 month
(b) For large lab. animals = up to 6 week
 Stabilization – Physiological , psychological and
nutritional stabilization is required .
 Separation – Physical separation of animals by their
species is required in order to prevent anxiety and
behavioral changes of the animal .

22.  Animal procurement and transportation
 Procurement of animals is done from established
commercial animal vendors .
 During transportation , stress hands are avoided by
using appropriate size of transport containers .
 Experimental area –
 Experiments should be carried out in a separate area
, away from the place where they are housed .
 There should be separate functional areas for
surgical support and treatment of animals .

23.  Physical facilities -
 (a) Building materials should be fire resistant and
moisture proof .
(b) Corridor should be wide enough for movement .
(c) Floor should be smooth and moisture proof .
(d)Temperature must be between 18-29*c .
(e) Proper ventilation and proper drainage system should
be provided .
(f) Power and lightning system should be safe .
(g) Noise free environment is required .
(h) storage area .

24.  Animal Husbandry
 Caging or Housing System –
a) Adequate space, freedom of movement .
b) Comfortable environment .
c) Easy access to food and water .
d) Proper ventilation.
 Food and water –
a) Food should be palatable .
b) Food should be nutritionally adequate .
c) Food should contain moisture , crude fiber, Protein and fats .
d) Should have easy and continuous access to fresh and
uncontaminated drinking water .

25. Sanitation and cleanliness -
a ) Proper maintenance of records .
b ) Proper selection of animal facility staff is required .

26. 5 . Alternative to animal studies
It is an advanced computerized modeling
technique which uses human cells and tissues (in-
vitro ).
Scientists often study the effects of drugs and
chemicals on animals before they declare them
safe for humans .
Alternative testing methods offers many
advantages over Animal testing method, they are
not only cost effective and rapid but are also
more reliable than the animal tests .

27.  3 R’S of alternative testing
 The concept of 3R’S stands for Reduction ,
Replacement and Refinement .
1. Reduction –
 It refers to minimizing the number of animals
required for an experiment to a minimum level.
 This test method aims in –
(a) Prevention of duplication .
(b) Species and animal model selection .
(c) Experimental design .

28. 2 . Replacement
 Replacement of animals often means the usage of
computer model as an alternative study .
 It is also termed as “Absolute replacement” .
 Absolute replacement may involve usage of human cells
and tissues .
 Several tests performed under replacement method –
a) Skin absorption test
 For animal test – test chemical is applied to shaved skin of
the rat’s back and observed for a period of 24 hours .
 For non-animal test – the test chemical is applied on the
treated skin (tissue culture ) and observed for a period of
time .

29. b) Pyrogenicity
 Pyrogens are fever and inflammation causing agents .
 Pyrogenicity tests determines the potential presence
of Pyrogens .
 Animal test – The test chemical is injected into the
blood stream of the rabbit and the temperature is
recorded periodically .
 Non- animal test – in-vitro test using donated human
blood as a test medium .

30. c) Immunotoxicity
This test is mainly used as an alternative for
guinea pig to screen for allergic reaction
a. Immunization
b. Fusion of lymphocytes
c. Separation of hybrid cells
d. Screening of hybrid cells
e. Cloning of hybrid cells

31. 3. Refinement
 It is a test method that eliminates pain , sufferings
and distress in animals ( or) enhances animal
wellbeing by providing better housing enrichment .
 Refinement not only considers animal during the
experiment but also considers the wellbeing of the
animals from birth till death .

32. THANK YOU