ABSTRACT
The study of drug disposition in physiological compartments is traditionally referred to as pharmacokinetics. Toxicokinetics includes the more appropriate study of exogenous compounds (xenobiotics), the adverse effects associated with their concentrations, passage through the physiological compartments, and the chemicals’ ultimate fate. Compartmental toxicokinetics involves administration or exposure to a chemical, rapid equilibration to the central compartment (plasma and tissues), followed by distribution to peripheral compartments. Consequently, the principles of pharmacokinetics and toxicokinetics historically have been used interchangeably.
