Physiologically based pharmacokinetic determinations

Once a chemical is in systemic circulation, the next concern is how rapidly it is cleared from the body. Under the assumption of steady-state exposure, the clearance rate drives the steady-state concentration in the blood and other tissues, which in turn will help determine what types of specific molecular activity can be expected. Chemicals are processed through the liver, where a variety of biotransformation reactions occur, for instance, making the chemical more water soluble or tagging it for active transport. The chemical can then be actively or passively partitioned for excretion based largely on the physicochemical properties of the parent compound and the resulting metabolites. Whole animal pharmacokinetic studies can be carried out to determine partitioning, metabolic fate, and routes and extent of excretion, but these studies are extremely laborious and expensive, and are often difficult to extrapolate to humans. To complement these studies, and in some cases to replace them, physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models can be constructed [32, 33]. These are typically compartment-based models that are parameterized for particular... 

Another model, which is increasingly being used, is the physiologically based pharmacokinetic model. This uses data on the absorption, distribution, metabolism, tissue sequestration, kinetics, elimination, and mechanism to determine the target dose used for the extrapolation, but it requires extensive data. 

Tardif et al. (1992, 1993 a, 1997) have developed a physiologically based toxicokinetic model for toluene in rats (and humans—see Section 4.1.1). They determined the conditions under which interaction between toluene and xylene(s) occurred during inhalation exposure, leading to increased blood concentrations of these solvents, and decreased levels of the hippurates in urine. Similar metabolic interactions have been observed for toluene and benzene in rats (Purcell et al., 1990) toluene inhibited benzene metabolism more effectively than the reverse. Tardif et al. (1997) also studied the exposure of rats (and humans) to mixtures of toluene, we/a-xylene and ethylbenzene, using their physiologically based pharmacokinetic model the mutual inhibition constants for their metabolism were used for simulation of the human situation. 

Rao, H.V., and D.R. Brown. 1993. A physiologically based pharmacokinetic assessment of tetrachloroethylene in groundwater for a bathing and showering determination. Risk Anal. 13(l) 37-49. 

Thrall KD, Poet TS. 2000. Determination of biokinetic interactions in chemical mixtures using real-time breath analysis and physiologically based pharmacokinetic modeling. J... 

Timchalk C, Poet TS. 2008. Development of a physiologically based pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic model to determine dosimetry and cholinesterase inhibition for a binary mixture of chlorpyrifos and diazinon in the rat. Neurotoxicology 29 428 443. 

A physiologically based pharmacokinetics (PBPK) model based on the ventilation rate, cardiac output, tissue blood flow rates, and volumes as well as measured tissue/air and blood/air partition coefficients has been developed (Medinsky et al. 1989a Travis et al. 1990). Experimentally determined data and model simulations indicated that during and after 6 hours of inhalation exposure to benzene, mice metabolized benzene more efficiently than rats (Medinsky et al. 1989a). After oral exposure, mice and rats appeared to metabolize benzene similarly up to oral doses of 50 mg/kg, above which rats metabolized more benzene than did mice on a per kg body weight basis (Medinsky et al. 1989b). This model may be able to predict the human response based on animal data. Benzene metabolism followed Michaelis-Menton kinetics in vivo primarily in the liver, and to a lesser extent in the bone marrow. Additional information on PBPK modeling is presented in Section 2.3.5. 

Many types of modeling techniques are available in the discovery phase of drug development, from structure activity relationships (SAR) to physiology based pharmacokinetics (PBPK) and pharmacokinetics-/pharmacodynamics (PK/PD) to help choosing some of the lead compounds. Some tests that are carried out by discovery include techniques related to structure determination, metabolism, and permeability NMR, MS/MS, elemental analysis, PAMPA, CACO-2, and in vitro metabolic stability. Although they are important as a part of physicochemical molecular characterization under the biopharmaceutics umbrella, they will not be discussed here. The reader can find relevant information in numerous monographs [9,10]. 

While rate equations can be solved and metabolic rates can be estimated and determined easily in vitro because of the control of variables (specifically, substrate concentration), the situation is much more difficult in vivo. Here the advent of physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models has offered a powerful tool for examining metabolic interactions that occur following exposure to chemical mixtures (see Chapter 3). 

Sultatos, L. G. (1990). A physiologically based pharmacokinetic model of parathion based on chemical-specific parameters determined in vitro. J. Am. Coll. Toxicol. 9(6). 611-619. 

Both of these approaches allow for assessment of systemic absorption by not conducting complete mass balance studies (e.g., expired air to catch absorbed compound metabolized to COj or HjO expired end products). In vivo dermal absorption studies not taking into account other routes of excretion must be interpreted with caution. One extension of this mass balance excretory analysis is to assess dermal absorption by only monitoring the primary excretory route for the compound studied. Dermal bioavailability has been assessed in exhaled breath using real-time ion trap mass spectrometry to track the uptake and ehmination of compounds (e.g., trichloroethylene) from dermal exposure in humans and rats (Poet et al., 2000). A physiologically based pharmacokinetic model can be used to estimate the total bioavailability of compoimds. The same approach was extended to determine the dermal uptake of volatile chemicals imder non-steady-state conditions using real-time breath analysis in rats, monkeys, and humans (Thrall et al., 2000). 

Poet, T.S., Thrall, K.D., Corley, R.A., Hui, X., IMwards, J.A., Weitz, K.K., Maibach, H.I., and Wester, R.C., 2000b, Utility of real time breath analysis and physiologically based pharmacokinetic modeling to determine the percutaneous absorption of methyl chloroform in rats and humans, Toxicol. Set, 54, 42-51. 

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