Toxicokinetiek: overzicht

Toxicokinetics, abbreviated as TK, studies how a drug is absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and excreted at higher doses, which may lead to toxicity.

While toxicokinetics and pharmacokinetics share principles and models, they focus on different dose ranges—namely, the toxic and therapeutic ranges, respectively.

Toxicokinetics studies high, toxic doses that may affect drug solubility in the intestines, leading to precipitation. Additionally, saturated processes, such as enzymatic metabolism and protein binding, lead to nonlinear kinetics at toxic doses, unlike the typically linear kinetics observed at therapeutic doses.

Toxicodynamics or TD explores the relationship between toxic drug doses and the resulting adverse effects.

Preclinical TK/TD studies correlate animal toxicity data with human safety by estimating the human equivalent and the maximum recommended starting doses. They also validate animal models, aid in dose selection for human trials, assist in designing safe pharmacokinetic studies, and identify target organs for toxicity.