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Impacts Of Effluent And Stormwater Runoff Sources On Metal Lability And Bioavailability In Developed Streams, Hongwei Luan

Doctoral Dissertations

Urban streams receive Cu from both treated wastewater and stormwater runoff sources. Both sources have significant quantities of organic matter (OM), which is known to control Cu speciation and bioavailability. Individual and mixed water samples from wastewater treatment plant effluents, stormwater runoff, and streams from developed areas were characterized with respect to OM concentration and spectral properties and metal concentration and size distribution. In addition, asymmetric flow-field flow fractionation coupled to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry was used to measure concentration, size distribution and association of metals in the colloidal size range. Results reveal that Fe, Cu, Zn and Pb …

The Assessment Of A Nano-Delivery System For Increasing The Bioavailability And Efficacy Of Lutein In Preventing Hepatic Steatosis And Systemic Inflammation In Guinea Pigs, Ana G. Murillo

Doctoral Dissertations

Lutein is a xanthophyll synthesized by plants. In biological systems, lutein has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which could protect against chronic diseases. Despite its potential as a bioactive food component, lutein intake is low among Americans. In addition, lutein has low bioavailability, making it difficult to achieve biological effects. One approach to overcome these challenges is the use of nanotechnology.

This project evaluated the effects of a lutein nanoemulsion (NANO) on hepatic steatosis and systemic inflammation in guinea pigs. Our hypothesis was that NANO lutein would be more bioavailable and, therefore, more effective than powdered lutein (PL) in protecting against …

Significance Of Polyphenol Metabolism In Explaining The Bioactivity Of Polyphenol-Rich Foods, Liyang Xie

Doctoral Dissertations

Dietary polyphenols are non-essential phytonutrients that are extensively metabolized upon consumption. We hypothesized that the bioavailability of polyphenol metabolites is more important than unmetabolized polyphenols for the health promoting effects of polyphenol-rich foods. First, we developed a more complete polyphenol profile for almond, by characterizing its extensively metabolized polyphenol composition. In almond, hydrolysable tannin content was 54.7 ± 2.3 mg ellagic acid and 27.4 ± 7.3 mg gallic acid per 100 g almond among varieties. Resveratrol-3-O-glucoside was identified in almond extracts, with 7.19–8.52 μg/100 g almond. Second, we determined the efficiency by which aronia berry polyphenols are metabolized in an …