Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic Modelling

This chapter presents the readers with a primer on the subject of physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modelling. It discusses the theory and principles of PBPK modelling, and compares and contrasts it with classical pharmacokinetic modelling. It describes the multiple steps involved in developing PBPK models, and includes a compilation, with complete referencing, of published PBPK models for environmental chemicals that have been developed to date. The many applications of PBPK modelling to address issues in toxicology and health risk assessment are discussed with relevant examples. It concludes with some discussion of the problems and limitations in PBPK modelling, and offers some observations about future directions for this rapidly emerging field.

Keywords: physiologically based pharmacokinetic modelling; principles; toxicological applications; risk assessment