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Showing papers on "Physiologically based pharmacokinetic modelling published in 2001"


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The approaches developed in the present study permit, for the first time, the consideration of the impact of multichemical pharmacokinetic interactions at a quantitative level in mixture risk assessments.

117 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Animal-based risk estimates for human inhalation exposure to VC using total metabolism estimates from the PBPK model were consistent with risk estimates based on human epidemiological data, and were lower than those currently used in environmental decision-making by a factor of 80.

99 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The model provides a validated framework for performing chemical-specific route-to-route extrapolation and cross-species dosimetry, which can be used in place of generic default calculations in support of risk assessments for IPA and acetone.

84 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The PBPK modeling correctly predicted a marked increase in V(dss), a smaller increase in CL, and a prolonged terminal half-life of midazolam, as compared with findings in the first study.

79 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The resulting human model, in accord with the animal models, predicts relatively high inorganic mercury levels in the kidneys long after the disappearance of methylmercury from the blood.
Abstract: Physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models are excellent tools to aid in the extrapolation of animal data to humans. When the fate of the chemical is the same among species being compared, animal data can appropriately be considered as a model for human exposure. For methylmercury exposure, sufficient data exist to allow comparison of numerous mammalian species to humans. PBPK model validation entails obtaining blood and tissue concentrations of the parent chemical and metabolite(s) at various times following a known exposure. From ethical and practical considerations, human tissue concentrations following a known exposure to an environmental toxicant are scarce. While animal-to-human extrapolation demands that sufficient human data exist to validate the model, the validation requirements are less stringent if multiple animal models are utilized within a single model template. A versatile PBPK model was used to analyze the distribution and elimination of methylmercury and its metabolite, inorganic mercury. Uniquely, the model is formed in a generic way from a single basic template during the initial program compilation. Basic parameters are defined for different PBPK models for mammalian species that span a relatively large range of sizes. In this article, the analyses include 12 species (mouse, hamster, rat, guinea pig, cat, rabbit, monkey, sheep, pig, goat, cow, and human). Allometric (weight-based) correlations of tissue binding coefficients, metabolism rate constants, and elimination parameters for both methylmercury and inorganic mercury are presented for species for which sufficient data are available. The resulting human model, in accord with the animal models, predicts relatively high inorganic mercury levels in the kidneys long after the disappearance of methylmercury from the blood.

52 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This state-of-the-art of structure-based modelling of pharmacokinetics will advance with the development of QSPRs for other chemical-specific parameters of PBPK models, which should facilitate the identification of chemicals of a family that possess desired properties of bioaccumulation and blood concentration profile in both test animals and humans.

47 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The increased perfusion of perirenal fat associated with physical workload was best described if it was set to the same, elevated, level during all exercise levels, rather than scaled directly to the increase in oxygen uptake.

45 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Model simulations indicated that, among these three chemicals, the inhibition was competitive, and the PBPK model was extended to assess occupationally relevant exposures at or below the current threshold-limit values (TLVs).
Abstract: The volatile organic solvents trichloroethylene (TCE), tetrachloroethylene (perchloroethylene, PERC), and 1,1,1-trichloroethane (methylchloroform, MC) are widely distributed environmental pollutants and common contaminants of many chemical waste sites. To investigate the mode of pharmacokinetic interactions among TCE, PERC, and MC and to calculate defined "interaction thresholds", gas-uptake experiments were performed using a closed-chamber exposure system. In each experiment, two rats (Fischer 344, male, 8-9 weeks old) were exposed to different initial concentrations of TCE, PERC, and MC, applied singly or as a mixture, and their concentration in the gas phase of the chamber was monitored over a period of 6 h. A physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model was developed to test multiple mechanisms of inhibitory interactions, i.e., competitive, non-competitive, or uncompetitive. All mixture exposure data were accurately described by a system of equations in which a PBPK model was provided for each chemical and each was regarded as an inhibitor of the others' metabolism. Sensitivity-analysis techniques were used to investigate the impact of key parameters on model output and optimize experimental design. Model simulations indicated that, among these three chemicals, the inhibition was competitive. The PBPK model was extended to assess occupationally relevant exposures at or below the current threshold-limit values (TLVs). Based on 10% elevation in TCE blood levels as a criterion for significant interaction and assuming TCE exposure is set at TLV of 50 ppm, the calculated interaction thresholds for PERC and MC were 25 and 135 ppm, respectively. TLV exposures to binary TCE/PERC mixture were below the 10% significance level. The interaction threshold for TCE and MC co-exposure would be reached at 50 and 175 ppm, respectively. Such interactive PBPK models should be of value in risk assessment of occupational and environmental exposure to solvent mixtures.

43 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A whole-body PBPK model wherein the distribution of drug on transit through each organ is described by the dispersion model with closed boundary conditions incorporated, which has a distinct advantage over the well-stirred organ whole- body P BPK model in its ability to describe both short and long time characteristics.
Abstract: In whole-body physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models, each tissue or organ is frequently portrayed as a single well-mixed compartment with distribution, perfusion rate limited. However, single-pass profiles from isolated organ studies are more adequately described by models which display an intermediate degree of mixing. One such model is the dispersion model, which successfully describes the outflow profiles from the liver and the perfused hindlimb of many compounds, under a variety of conditions. A salient parameter of this model is the dispersion number, a dimensionless term, which characterizes the relative axial spreading of compound on transit through the organ. We have developed a whole-body PBPK model wherein the distribution of drug on transit through each organ is described by the dispersion model with closed boundary conditions incorporated. The model equations were numerically solved using finite differencing methods, in particular, the method of lines. An integrating routine suitable for solving stiff sets of equations was used. Physiological parameters, blood flows, and tissue volumes, were taken from the literature, as were the tissue dispersion numbers, which characterize the mixing properties of each tissue; where none could be found, the value was set as that for liver. On solution, tissue, venous and arterial blood concentration–time profiles are generated. The profiles exhibited both short and long time characteristics. Oscillations were observed in the venous and arterial profiles over the first 10 min of simulation for the rat. On scale-up to human, the effects were seen over a 30 min period. Longer time effects of tissue distribution involve buildup of drug in the large tissues of distribution: skeletal muscle, skin, and adipose. The extent of distribution in the large tissues was somewhat dependent on the magnitude of the dispersion number, the lower the dispersion number, the greater the extent of distribution after an intravenous bolus dose. The model has a distinct advantage over the well-stirred organ whole-body PBPK model in its ability to describe both short and long time characteristics.

36 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Reduction in intracellular pH (pHi) is proposed as the dosimeter most closely linked to the earliest stages of vinyl acetate toxicity, and risk assessments that are based on protection of nasal epithelium from intrACEllular acidification will be protective of all subsequent pathological responses related to vinyl acetates exposure.
Abstract: Vinyl acetate is used in the manufacture of many polymers. The Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 require that an inhalation risk assessment be conducted to assess risks to human health from ambient exposures. Vinyl acetate is a nasal carcinogen in rats and induces olfactory degeneration in rats and mice. Because of the many unique aspects of the rodent nasal cavity compared to that of humans, conventional means for extrapolating dosimetry between species are not appropriate. Physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) and pharmacodynamic (PD) modeling can address many of these unique aspects. A PBPK/PD model has been developed for vinyl acetate, but the choice of appropriate dosimeter(s) to use for interspecies extrapolation depends on a hypothesis regarding mode of action. This article summarizes the key studies that formulate a mode of action hypothesis for vinyl acetate. Dose-response relationships for vinyl acetate-induced nonneoplastic and neoplastic responses are highly nonlinear, suggesting complex...

31 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This is the first time that the toxicokinetics of a non-metabolized chemical is used to assess population PBPK parameters, and model deviations suggest that a pulmonary sub-compartment may be needed in order to describe the inhalation and exhalation of volatile adequately.
Abstract: Physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models are often optimized by adjusting metabolic parameters so as to fit experimental toxicokinetic data. The estimates of the metabolic parameters are then conditional on the assumed values for all other parameters. Meanwhile, the reliability of other parameters, or the structural model, is usually not questioned. Inhalation exposures with human volunteers in our laboratory show that non-conjugators lack metabolic capacity for methyl chloride entirely, and that elimination in these subjects takes place via exhalation only. Therefore, data from these methyl chloride exposures provide an excellent opportunity to assess the general reliability of standard inhalation PBPK models for humans. A hierarchical population PBPK model for methyl chloride was developed. The model was fit to the experimental data in a Bayesian framework using Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) simulation. In a Bayesian analysis, it is possible to merge a priori knowledge of the physiological, anatomical and physicochemical parameters with the information embedded in the experimental toxicokinetic data obtained in vivo. The resulting estimates are both statistically and physiologically plausible. Model deviations suggest that a pulmonary sub-compartment may be needed in order to describe the inhalation and exhalation of volatile adequately. The results also indicate that there may be significant intra-individual variability in the model parameters. To our knowledge, this is the first time that the toxicokinetics of a non-metabolized chemical is used to assess population PBPK parameters. This approach holds promise for more elaborate experiments in order to assess the reliability of PBPK models in general.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The results indicate that the general structure of the hybrid CFD-PBPK model applied in this assessment would be useful for target tissue dosimetry and interspecies dose comparisons for a wide variety of vapors.
Abstract: To assist in interspecies dosimetry comparisons for risk assessment of the nasal effects of organic acids, a hybrid computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) dosimetry model was constructed to estimate the regional tissue dose of inhaled vapors in the rat and human nasal cavity. Application to a specific vapor would involve the incorporation of the chemical-specific reactivity, metabolism, partition coefficients, and diffusivity (in both air and tissue phases) of the vapor. This report describes the structure of the CFD-PBPK model and its application to a representative acidic vapor, acrylic acid, for interspecies tissue concentration comparisons to assist in risk assessment. By using the results from a series of short-term in vivo studies combined with computer modeling, regional nasal tissue dose estimates were developed and comparisons of tissue doses between species were conducted. To make these comparisons, the assumption was made that the susceptibilities of...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: By incorporating an understanding of the metabolic processes, this PBPK model can be used to predict blood levels of MTBE, which is important in determining target tissue dose estimates for risk assessment.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Overall, use of mechanistic data has significant potential for reducing the uncertainty in assessments, while at the same time highlighting the areas of uncertainty.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Two approaches for calculating life stage-specific equivalent doses in a risk assessment for perchlorate are demonstrated: the direct combination of validated model predictions, and the development of preliminary PBPK models for the human-sensitive populations based on the relationship of the parameters in the validated rat and human models.
Abstract: The effects of perchlorate on the incorporation of iodide into thyroid hormones have been studied for more than 40 years in many species and under varying exposure conditions. Nevertheless, the database for this drinking water contaminant is still incomplete, particularly with regard to human developmental risk. A method for integrating the available data and forming meaningful conclusions for risk assessment is needed. To this end, an initial suite of physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models has been developed, which incorporates physiological data for the relevant species and life stages and kinetic data for perchlorate and iodide, as well as the interaction between the two anions. The validated models successfully describe perchlorate-induced inhibition of thyroid iodide uptake and perchlorate and iodide kinetics in the male, pregnant, lactating, fetal, and neonatal rats and the adult humans. The relationships of model-predicted internal dose metrics and kinetic parameters allow a direct comparison of internal dose metrics across life stages in rats and humans. By incorporating all the available data, these models provide a framework for species and life stage extrapolation where the lack of specific data sets would otherwise limit predictive capability. This paper demonstrates two approaches for calculating life stage-specific equivalent doses in a risk assessment for perchlorate: the direct combination of validated model predictions, and the development of preliminary PBPK models for the human-sensitive populations based on the relationship of the parameters in the validated rat and human models. Either approach can be used to perform the needed dosimetry. However, the second approach provides the advantage of a preliminary human life stage-specific PBPK model that can be used for identification of key data gaps and estimation of uncertainty.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Compartmental pharmacokinetic models of animals and humans are needed to understand the quantitative relationships between chemical exposure and target tissue dose as well as animal to human differences and interindividual differences in human populations.
Abstract: The adverse biological effects of toxic substances are dependent upon the exposure concentration and the duration of exposure. Pharmacokinetic models can quantitatively relate the external concentration of a toxicant in the environment to the internal dose of the toxicant in the target tissues of an exposed organism. The exposure concentration of a toxic substance is usually not the same as the concentration of the active form of the toxicant that reaches the target tissues following absorption, distribution, and biotransformation of the parent toxicant. Biotransformation modulates the biological activity of chemicals through bioactivation and detoxication pathways. Many toxicants require biotransformation to exert their adverse biological effects. Considerable species differences in biotransformation and other pharmacokinetic processes can make extrapolation of toxicity data from laboratory animals to humans problematic. Additionally, interindividual differences in biotransformation among human populations with diverse genetics and lifestyles can lead to considerable variability in the bioactivation of toxic chemicals. Compartmental pharmacokinetic models of animals and humans are needed to understand the quantitative relationships between chemical exposure and target tissue dose as well as animal to human differences and interindividual differences in human populations. The data-based compartmental pharmacokinetic models widely used in clinical pharmacology have little utility for human health risk assessment because they cannot extrapolate across dose route or species. Physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models allow such extrapolations because they are based on anatomy, physiology, and biochemistry. In PBPK models, the compartments represent organs or groups of organs and the flows between compartments are actual blood flows. The concentration of a toxicant in a target tissue is a function of the solubility of the toxicant in blood and tissues (partition coefficients), blood flow into the tissue, metabolism of the toxicant in the tissue, and blood flow out of the tissue. The appropriate degree of biochemical detail can be added to the PBPK models as needed. Comparison of model simulations with experimental data provides a means of hypothesis testing and model refinement. In vitro biotransformation data from studies with isolated liver cells or subcellular fractions from animals or humans can be extrapolated to the intact organism based upon protein content or cell number. In vitro biotransformation studies with human liver preparations can provide quantitative data on human interindividual differences in chemical bioactivation. These in vitro data must be integrated into physiological models to understand the true impact of interindividual differences in chemical biotransformation on the target organ bioactivation of chemical contaminants in air and drinking water.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: While the model satisfactorily simulated the urinary excretion of trichloroacetic acid, following experimental inhalation exposure to 10, 20 and 40 ppm perchloroethylene under controlled conditions the opposite was true for the occupational exposure data.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This model, which includes a respiratory tract compartment containing a dead-space region, a pulmonary exchange area, and a breath-by-breath description of respiratory tract uptake, allows successful simulation of exhaled breath concentrations of humans during the first minute of exposure to the anesthetics halothane, isoflurane, and desflurane.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This PBPK model should be an effective tool for evaluating the target tissue doses that may produce the neurotoxicity of organic acid toxicants after low-dose, long-term exposures to contaminated foods or the environment.


01 Jan 2001
TL;DR: The aim of the thesis was to apply the MCMC technique on previously published experimental data to assess the reliability of PBPK models in general by the combination of the extensive data and Bayesian population techniques, and the population kinetics of methyl chloride, dichloromethane, toluene and styrene were assessed.
Abstract: In risk assessment of risk chemicals, variability in susceptibility in the population is an important aspect. The health hazard of a pollutant is related to the internal exposure to the chemical, i.e. the target dose, rather than the external exposure. The target dose may be calculated by physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling. Furthermore, variability in target dose may be estimated by introducing variability in the physiological, anatomical, and biochemical parameters of the model. Data on these toxicokinetic model parameters may be found in the scientific literature. Since the early seventies, a large number of experimental inhalation studies of the kinetics of several volatiles in human volunteers have been performed at the National Institute for Working Life in Solna. To this day, only very limited analyses of these extensive data have been performed. A Bayesian analysis makes it possible to merge a priori knowledge from the literature with the information in experimental data. If combined with population PBPK modeling, the Bayesian approach may yield posterior estimates of the toxicokinetic parameters for each subject, as well as for the population. One way of producing these estimates is by so-called Markov-chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) simulation. The aim of the thesis was to apply the MCMC technique on previously published experimental data. Another objective was to assess the reliability of PBPK models in general by the combination of the extensive data and Bayesian population techniques. The population kinetics of methyl chloride, dichloromethane, toluene and styrene were assessed. The calibrated model for dichloromethane was used to predict cancer risk in a simulated Swedish population. In some cases, the respiratory uptake of volatiles was found to be lower than predicted from reference values on alveolar ventilation. The perfusion of fat tissue was found to be a complex process that needs special attention in PBPK modeling. These results provide a significant contribution to the field of PBPK modeling of risk chemicals. Appropriate statistical treatment of uncertainty and variability may increase confidence in model results and ultimately contribute to an improved scientific basis for the estimation of occupational health risks.


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This work provides an intuitive illustration of sensitivity analysis, a numerical technique, typically used to identify optimal exposure times aimed at improving future experiments, in the hope of facilitating the application ofensitivity analysis to design informative metabolic studies.
Abstract: The accurate quantification of metabolism is essential for performing dosimetry of volatile organic compounds because metabolism is typically required for toxicity. One approach available to measure metabolism is gas uptake analysis, which combines experimental data with physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling in order to obtain metabolic parameters. One of the primary concerns when using modeling to infer parameter values arises from the uncertainty involved in this process. In this article, we illustrate the use of sensitivity analysis, a numerical technique, typically used to identify optimal exposure times aimed at improving future experiments. This particular analysis was performed using a previously published PBPK model for chloroform, which was chosen as a model volatile compound. In order to illustrate the interpretation of sensitivity coefficients, three different time-course plots are generated for liver concentration by varying the metabolism parameter Vmax plus or minus 10%. We t...


Journal Article
TL;DR: The role of PBTK models and their limitations in biologically-based risk assessment are reviewed.
Abstract: Biologically-based cancer risk assessment relies on mathematical models that represent the toxicokinetics and toxicodynamics of the xenobiotic in the body. Physiologically-based toxicokinetic (PBTK) models are used as a tool for predicting the target tissue dose of a xenobiotic from different routes of exposure, extrapolating from high doses to low doses and extrapolating between species. This paper reviews the role of PBTK models and their limitations in biologically-based risk assessment.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The development of a computer simulation program was undertaken for predicting the tissue distribution of metabolites produced via complex metabolic pathways (A→B→C...), which would utilize a physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model.
Abstract: Computer simulations are extremely useful for evaluating the safety of chemicals and environmental pollutants. Since such simulations can require extensive knowledge of both mathematics and computer programming, however, they are not widely used. To make such computer simulations available to more researchers, the author has developed a Pharmacokinetics Predicting Program (PPP). This program runs under Microsoft Windows and makes it possible to easily determine the tissue distribution curve for chemical substances without requiring the user to deal with differential equations or computer programming. PPP requires only that the user enter the physiological data, the pharmacokinetic parameters, and the conditions under which the chemical substance was administered. The program then predicts in vivo tissue distribution and provides graphs of the predicted pharmacokinetic results. Some environmental pollutants and chemicals become more toxic or express activity following in vivo metabolism. Thus, the development of a computer simulation program was undertaken for predicting the tissue distribution of metabolites produced via complex metabolic pathways (A→B→C...), which would utilize a physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model. Results indicate that the peak in tissue concentration is delayed for relatively late-forming metabolites such as metabolite C. This means that, when studying toxic metabolites, we need to consider time-lag in the expression of toxicity. PPP also has potential applications in numerous other areas, including the extrapolation of animal studies to humans, planning for animal testing, and planning for individualized drug treatment.