ABSTRACT

This chapter provides information on the integrated assessment of this complex organ system in the most commonly used species in toxicology, from rodents to large animals. Components of the gastrointestinal tract serve as the first interface of a host organism with xenobiotics by oral dosing. In general, embryonal development involves sequential modifications of structures by closing/fusion of segments such as separation of the embryonal pharynx by a septum that is lost in a fully developed animal. Because the human disease is multifactorial, stemming from environmental to genetic and immune mechanisms, which all contribute to the manifestation of disease, no ideal animal model has been identified. The last several years brought an increased interest in the use of pigs in biomedical research by the establishment of specific minipigs with relatively small body weight, providing the advantage of the many similarities of pigs to human anatomy and physiology along with large litter sizes.