Zebrafish (Danio rerio) meets bioethics: the 10Rs ethical principles in research

Abstract Zebrafish (Danio rerio) is a tropical fish species widely used in research, worldwide. The development of genetically modified animals and the increasing number of zebrafish breeding facilities due to their emerging use in several research fields, opened room for new ethical challenges for research carried out with this species. It is necessary to raise the scientific community’s awareness of the ethical standards and laws in force, on animal research. Thus, the aim of the current study is to describe 10 Rs ethical principles by using zebrafish as model system in research. The classical 3 Rs concerning animal welfare, namely replacement, reduction and refinement; and the added 7 Rs related to scientific (registration, reporting, robustness, reproducibility and relevance) and conduct principles (responsibility, and respect) in zebrafish research are herein presented and critically discussed. The use of these 10 Rs by researchers, institutions and the Animal Ethics Committee is recommended to support regulations, decision-making about and the promotion of zebrafish health and welfare in research.

摘要 斑马鱼（Danio rerio）是全球范围内广泛应用于科研领域的热带鱼类。随着转基因动物研发技术的进步，加之该物种在多个研究领域的应用日益广泛，其养殖设施数量持续攀升，为基于该物种的科研工作带来了全新的伦理挑战。当前亟需提升科研界对动物研究领域现行伦理标准与法律法规的认知水平。为此，本研究以斑马鱼为研究模型，系统阐述10项伦理原则（10 Rs）。本文将对斑马鱼研究中涉及的两类伦理原则进行系统呈现与批判性讨论：其一为经典的动物福利3R原则（替代（Replacement）、减少（Reduction）、优化（Refinement））；其二为新增的7项伦理原则，涵盖科研规范（注册（Registration）、报告（Reporting）、稳健性（Robustness）、可重复性（Reproducibility）与相关性（Relevance））及行为准则（责任（Responsibility）、尊重（Respect））。我们建议研究人员、科研机构及动物伦理委员会采用该10项伦理原则，以助力相关法规制定、科研决策，并推动斑马鱼研究中的动物健康与福利保障。