For examination of each of the potential beneficial dietary component we will : (1) Examine the anti-inflammatory effects of oil, ethanol and water soluble extracts from the dietary component being studied concurrently in the clinic. The hypothesis being tested is that bioactives and polyunsaturated fatty acids in the nut will exert anti-inflammatory effects directly on the macrophages. This will be evaluated by gene expression and through the release of cytokines into the media; (2) Determine the mechanism by which oil, ethanol and water soluble extracts from these dietary components exert their beneficial effects. The hypothesis being tested is that resveratrol and other polyphenols found in the many nuts and polyunsaturated fatty acids in the nut will exert anti-inflammatory effects via nuclear receptors such as PPAR. Sensitive reporter assays as well as gene expression studies will be used to evaluate the mechanism of action of bioactives within the food; (3) Establish novel "biomarkers" to be utilized in subsequent clinical studies on the dietary component. Our hypothesis for these studies is that more sensitive, predictive and specific biomarkers of peanuts products can be determined by gene expression microarrays.

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