A physiologically based pharmacokinetic model predicts concentrations of psilocin, the active metabolite of psilocybin, in plasma and brain after intravenous and oral administration in rats and humans. The model, built from three published studies, uses seven organ compartments and shows good overall agreement with observed data, though oral doses are under-predicted and intravenous doses over-predicted. This tool may help design safer dosing regimens for therapeutic use.
A physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model was developed to describe how psilocybin and its active metabolite psilocin distribute through the body in mice, rats, and humans. Psilocybin is assumed to convert completely to psilocin before entering systemic circulation. The model accurately characterizes concentration-time profiles across different doses and routes of administration. It can help guide therapeutic strategies and improve clinical trial designs for using psilocybin to treat major depressive disorder.