Physiological-based pharmacokinetic modeling of endotoxin in the rat:

We have previously measured the distribution and pharmacokinetics of biosynthetically radiolabeled endotoxin of Salmonella typhimurium following intraperitoneal (IP) dosing (200 μg/kg) in Sprague-Dawley rats. In our experiments, the fatty acid residues were labeled with 3H and the glucosamine residues were labeled with 14C. To predict the dynamics of endotoxin exposure, we developed a physiological-based pharmacokinetic model using our measured distribution results. The model was validated with published low-dose (30 μg/kg) IP exposure results in rats. Endotoxin pharmacokinetics depended on dose and route. At high IP doses, absorption was followed by biphasic decay over 48 h in plasma. There were tissue accumulations of the fatty acid and glucosamine residues in various target organs, including the brain. We also found that the glucosamine and fatty acid components separated in vivo about 3 h after IP injection. At the lower IP dose, a smaller fraction of the dose was distributed to the tissues, with most...