Application of a random network with a variable geometry of links to the kinetics of drug elimination in healthy and diseased livers

A physiologically-based flow network model for hepatic drug elimination II: variable lattice lobule models

We extend a physiologically-based lattice model for the transport and metabolism of drugs in the liver lobule (liver functional unit) to consider structural and spatial variability. We compare predicted drug concentration levels observed exiting the lobule with their detailed distribution inside the lobule, and indicate the role that structural variation has on these results. Liver zonation and its role on drug metabolism represent another aspect of structural inhomogeneity that we consider here. Since various liver diseases can be thought to produce such structural variations, our analysis gives insight into the role of disease on liver function and performance. These conclusions are based on the dominant role of convection in well-vascularized tissue with a given structure.

A multi-scale modeling framework for individualized, spatiotemporal prediction of drug effects and toxicological risk

In this study, we focus on a novel multi-scale modeling approach for spatiotemporal prediction of the distribution of substances and resulting hepatotoxicity by combining cellular models, a 2D liver model, and whole body model. As a case study, we focused on predicting human hepatotoxicity upon treatment with acetaminophen based on in vitro toxicity data and potential inter-individual variability in gene expression and enzyme activities. By aggregating mechanistic, genome-based in silico cells to a novel 2D liver model and eventually to a whole body model, we predicted pharmacokinetic properties, metabolism, and the onset of hepatotoxicity in an in silico patient. Depending on the concentration of acetaminophen in the liver and the accumulation of toxic metabolites, cell integrity in the liver as a function of space and time as well as changes in the elimination rate of substances were estimated. We show that the variations in elimination rates also influence the distribution of acetaminophen and its metabolites in the whole body. Our results are in agreement with experimental results. What is more, the integrated model also predicted variations in drug toxicity depending on alterations of metabolic enzyme activities. Variations in enzyme activity, in turn, reflect genetic characteristics or diseases of individuals. In conclusion, this framework presents an important basis for efficiently integrating inter-individual variability data into models, paving the way for personalized or stratified predictions of drug toxicity and efficacy.

Effects of old age on vascular complexity and dispersion of the hepatic sinusoidal network

OBJECTIVES

In old age, there are marked changes in both the structure of the liver sinusoidal endothelial cell and liver perfusion. The objective of this study was to determine whether there are also aging changes in the microvascular architecture and vascular dispersion of the liver that might influence liver function.

METHODS

Vascular corrosion casts and light micrographs of young (4 months) and old (24 months) rat livers were compared. Fractal and Fourier analyses and micro-computed tomography were used. Vascular dispersion was determined from the dispersion number for sucrose and 100-nm microspheres in impulse response experiments.

RESULTS

Age did not affect sinusoidal dimensions, sinusoidal density, or dispersion number. There were changes in the geometry and complexity of the sinusoidal network as determined by fractal dimension and degree of anisotropy.

CONCLUSIONS

There are small, age-related changes in the architecture of the liver sinusoidal network, which may influence hepatic function and reflect broader aging changes in the microcirculation. However, sinusoidal dimensions and hepatic vascular dispersion are not markedly influenced by old age.

Advanced pharmacokinetic models based on organ clearance, circulatory, and fractal concepts

Three advanced models of pharmacokinetics are described. In the first class are physiologically based pharmacokinetic models based on in vitro data on transport and metabolism. The information is translated as transporter and enzyme activities and their attendant heterogeneities into liver and intestine models. Second are circulatory models based on transit time distribution and plasma concentration time curves. The third are fractal models for nonhomogeneous systems and non-Fickian processes are presented. The usefulness of these pharmacokinetic models, with examples, is compared.