Equilibration and passage of water in the gastrointestinal tract of cattle in relation to estimating body water by compartmental kinetic models.

The volume of water in the rumen of four steers was increased (P less than .01) 47% when the level of ground cobs in the diet fed to the steers was changed from 10% to 50%. The difference in gut water content due to diet was not accurately (P greater than .10) estimated by deuterium oxide dilution using either one-, two- or three-compartmental models. Gut water was overestimated and empty body water underestimated when calculated by two-compartment models. The proportions of total body water within each compartment of a three-compartment model were quite variable among steers. When the two-compartment model was solved on the basis of measurements taken from either compartment, different compartment volumes were obtained. This indicated that the two-compartment model did not accurately describe the water equilibration process. Water in the contents of the proximal duodenum and terminal ileum equilibrated with blood in 30 min (range, 10 to 75 min), fecal water equilibrated in 4.3 h (range, 1.7 to 6.7 h) and water in rumen contents equilibrated in 8.3 h (range, 3.8 to 12.5 h). Diet did not affect (P greater than .10) equilibration time or the mean retention time of water in the gastrointestinal tract. Mean retention time was much longer than equilibration time; thus, the equilibration of water in the gastrointestinal tract contents was primarily dependent upon movement of water across the gut mucosa and not upon the flow of water through the gut. One-third of the water in the contents of the gastrointestinal tract was located outside the rumen. Compartmental modeling based only upon D2O disappearance from blood did not enable either gut water or rumen water to be accurately estimated.