Gastrointestinal Detoxification and Digestive Disorders in Ruminant Animals

Nutrition and toxicology are closely intertwined. Toxic substances can interfere with vital functions of the gastrointestinal tract such as digestion, absorption, excretion, and their regulatory control. From a toxicology viewpoint animals are continually challenged by compounds that are without nutritive value — material that they nevertheless ingest, inhale, or absorb. Such exposure to toxic compounds has been going on as long as life has and is not merely a consequence of the modern era of industrialization. In fact, toxin production may be considered a successful evolutionary strategy or adaptation to predators or a form of chemical warfare practiced by species as varied as insects, frogs, and plants (Rosenthal and Janzen 1979).