[Assessment of rate constants for isolating a metabolite by a model-independent method]

A model-independent method for estimating an elimination rate constant of a metabolite of exogenous substance is suggested as an alternative to known methods. The new method (named the initial slope method) uses blood (plasma) concentration-time data of both the substance and the metabolite obtained after an extravascular impulse input of the substance. The metabolite input is not needed substantially facilitating the experiment. The method is based upon the assessment of areas under the substance and metabolite concentration-time curves, the initial substance concentration, and the initial slope of the metabolite concentration-time curve. The method was tested using artificial data generated on the basis of a compartment model for the substance and metabolite kinetics. It was shown providing nonbiased estimates of a true metabolite elimination rate constant irrespective of the structure of the model used to generate data. Other methods failed to provide such estimates.