Scientific Publications by FDA Staff

Toxicol Sci 2017 Jul;158(1):23-35

Performance assessment and translation of physiologically based pharmacokinetic models from acslX to Berkeley Madonna, MATLAB(R), and R language: oxytetracycline and gold nanoparticles as case examples.

Lin Z, Jaberi-Douraki M, He C, Jin S, Yang RS, Fisher JW, Riviere JE

Many physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models for environmental chemicals, drugs, and nanomaterials have been developed to aid risk and safety assessments using acslXTM. However, acslXTM has been rendered sunset since November 2015. Alternative modeling tools and tutorials are needed for future PBPK applications. This forum article aimed to: (1) demonstrate the performance of four PBPK modeling software packages (acslXTM, Berkeley MadonnaTM, MATLAB(R), and R language) tested using two existing models (oxytetracycline and gold nanoparticles); (2) provide a tutorial of PBPK model code conversion from acslXTM to Berkeley MadonnaTM, MATLAB(R), and R language; (3) discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each software package in the implementation of PBPK models in toxicology, and (4) share our perspective about future direction in this field. Simulation results of plasma/tissue concentrations/amounts of oxytetracycline and gold from different models were compared visually and statistically with linear regression analyses. Simulation results from the original models were correlated well with results from the recoded models, with time-concentration/amount curves nearly superimposable and determination coefficients of 0.86-1.00. Step-by-step explanations of the recoding of the models in different software programs are provided in the Supplementary Data. In summary, this article presents a tutorial of PBPK model code conversion for a small molecule and a nanoparticle among four software packages, and a performance comparison of these software packages in PBPK model implementation. This tutorial helps beginners learn PBPK modeling, provides suggestions for selecting a suitable tool for future projects, and may lead to the transition from acslXTM to alternative modeling tools.