The impact of ecological restoration on ecosystem services change modulated by drought and rising CO2

Ecological restoration projects (ERPs) are an indispensable component of natural climate solutions and have proven to be very important for reversing environmental degradation in vulnerable regions and enhancing ecosystem services. However, the level of enhancement would be inevitably influenced by global drought and rising CO2 , which remain less investigated. In this study, we took the Beijing-Tianjin sand source region (which has experienced long-term ERPs), China, as an example and combined the process-based Biome-BGCMuSo model to set multiple scenarios to address this issue. We found ERP-induced carbon sequestration (CS), water retention (WR), soil retention (SR), and sandstorm prevention (SP) increased by 22.21%, 2.87%, 2.35%, and 28.77%, respectively. Moreover, the ecosystem services promotion from afforestation was greater than that from grassland planting. Approximately 91.41%, 98.13%, and 64.51% of the increased CS, SR, and SP were contributed by afforestation. However, afforestation also caused the WR to decline. Although rising CO2 amplified ecosystem services contributed by ERPs, it was almost totally offset by drought. The contribution of ERPs to CS, WR, SR, and SP was reduced by 5.74%, 32.62%, 11.74%, and 14.86%, respectively, under combined drought and rising CO2 . Our results confirmed the importance of ERPs in strengthening ecosystem services provision. Furthermore, we provide a quantitative way to understand the influence rate of drought and rising CO2 on ERP-induced ecosystem service dynamics. In addition, the considerable negative climate change impact implied that restoration strategies should be optimized to improve ecosystem resilience to better combat negative climate change impacts.

Physico-Chemical and Biological Evaluation of PLCL/SF Nanofibers Loaded with Oregano Essential Oil

Essential oils are complex volatile compounds, extracted from specific plant species, with promising therapeutic potentials. However, their volatile nature presents a major hindrance in using them as therapeutic agents. In the current study, we successfully encapsulated oregano essential oil (OEO) into Poly (l-lactic acid-co-e-caprolactone) /Silk Fibroin (PLCL/SF) polymers through electrospinning. The nanofibrous membrane (NF) was fabricated and characterized for various physico-chemical and biological attributions. Homogenous and bead free morphology was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) confirmed the successful loading of OEO and its physical interaction with the blend of PLCL/SF. Moreover, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) also confirmed the successful loading and thermostability of the OEO. Although a significant change was noted in tensile strength due to the loading of OEO, the mechanical behaviour still falls into the acceptable ranges required for skin tissue engineering. Similarly, fabricated material was evaluated for its biological significance. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) was employed to determine the release behaviour of OEO from electrospun membranes. LC-MS data, noted for 48 h, confirmed the biphasic release of OEO. Furthermore, NF membranes have shown strong antioxidant and anti-tumor activities. This material is promising and can be implanted to avoid the recurrence of the tumor after its surgical removal.

Electrospun Nanofibers for Tissue Engineering with Drug Loading and Release

Electrospinning technologies have been applied in the field of tissue engineering as materials, with nanoscale-structures and high porosity, can be easily prepared via this method to bio-mimic the natural extracellular matrix (ECM). Tissue engineering aims to fabricate functional biomaterials for the repairment and regeneration of defective tissue. In addition to the structural simulation for accelerating the repair process and achieving a high-quality regeneration, the combination of biomaterials and bioactive molecules is required for an ideal tissue-engineering scaffold. Due to the diversity in materials and method selection for electrospinning, a great flexibility in drug delivery systems can be achieved. Various drugs including antibiotic agents, vitamins, peptides, and proteins can be incorporated into electrospun scaffolds using different electrospinning techniques and drug-loading methods. This is a review of recent research on electrospun nanofibrous scaffolds for tissue-engineering applications, the development of preparation methods, and the delivery of various bioactive molecules. These studies are based on the fabrication of electrospun biomaterials for the repair of blood vessels, nerve tissues, cartilage, bone defects, and the treatment of aneurysms and skin wounds, as well as their applications related to oral mucosa and dental fields. In these studies, due to the optimal selection of drugs and loading methods based on electrospinning, in vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated that these scaffolds exhibited desirable effects for the repair and treatment of damaged tissue and, thus, have excellent potential for clinical application.