Alternatives to animal testing in basic and preclinical research of atopic dermatitis

Abstract

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease of increasing prevalence, especially in industrialized countries. Roughly 25% of the children and 1-3% of adults are affected. Although significant progress has been made in the understanding of the pathogenesis of AD, many aspects remain poorly understood. Moreover, there is a pressing need for improved therapeutic options. Studies to elucidate the pathophysiological pathways of AD and to identify novel therapeutic targets over the last few decades have been conducted almost exclusively in animal models. However, in vitro approaches such as 3D skin disease models have recently emerged due to an increasing awareness of distinct inter-species related differences that hamper the effective translation of results from animal models to humans. In addition, there is growing political and social pressure to develop alternatives to animal models according to the 3Rs principle (reduction, refinement and replacement of animal models). In this review, we briefly summarize commonly used animal models of AD and discuss the advancements and limitations of human-based in vitro models in AD research. Moreover, we address aspects where further improvements are urgently required.

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