Application of mean residence-time concepts to pharmacokinetic systems with noninstantaneous input and nonlinear elimination.

Equations describing the mean residence time (MRT) of drugs in the body are derived for drugs that are administered by first- and zero-order rates into systems with Michaelis-Menten elimination. With computer simulations, the validity of these equations, the differences between them, and the conventional approach using the AUMC/AUC or the summation of mean times are demonstrated by examining calculations of the percentage of the administered dose eliminated at the MRT and AUMC/AUC. The effects of the absorption rate on the AUC and on the approximate and true MRT values in a nonlinear pharmacokinetic system are also illustrated with computer simulations. It was previously found that the true MRTiv = Vss.AUCiv/dose for an iv bolus. The total MRT (sum of input and disposition) of a drug after noninstantaneous administration was found to be a function of the MRTiv, two values of AUC (iv and non-iv), and exactly how the drug is administered expressed as the mean absorption time (MAT). In addition, a theoretical basis is proposed for calculation of the bioavailability of drugs in both linear and nonlinear pharmacokinetic systems.