We have previously reported that the acute oral toxicity of chlorfenvinphos (CVP) is reduced by the oral pretreatment of rats with the same compound. In this report, the mechanism of this protection was clarified mainly through the physiologically based pharmacokinetic analysis. The CVP pretreatment (15 mg/kg, po, 24 hr before) reduced the lethality of po CVP greatly, and that of iv CVP to a lesser extent. Brain acetylcholinesterase inhibition by po and iv CVP was also decreased by the pretreatment. The magnitude of reduction of the inhibition caused by the po CVP was greater than that of the iv CVP. The ratio of CVP concentration between the brain and plasma was the same, regardless of the route of administration or the pretreatment. The pretreatment greatly reduced the plasma concentration and the area under the plasma concentration versus time curve (AUC) of the po CVP, but did not change appreciably that of the iv CVP. The unbound fraction of CVP in the blood or the liver was not changed by the pretreatment. According to physiologically based pharmacokinetic analysis, the decrease in AUC of the po CVP may be mainly caused by an increase in intrinsic clearance of the liver and a decrease in the partition coefficient of CVP between the emergent blood and the liver. The increase in the intrinsic clearance may be related to the metabolic induction observed in vitro. The pretreatment decreased the absorption rate constant of the po CVP. This change in combination with the above two factors which reduce AUC might be the reason for the decrease in the plasma concentration after the po CVP, and the protection against the CVP toxicity of the succeeding dosage.