Politics of the natural vegetation to balance the hazardous level of elements in marble polluted ecosystem through phytoremediation and physiological responses

The current paper evaluates the phytoremediation ability and physiological responses of selected resistant plant species to the hazardous levels of elements in the marble waste polluted ecosystem. Preliminary results demonstrate that all the indicator/resistant plant species i.e., Ailanthus altissima, Arundo donax, Cynodon dactylon, Erigeron canadensis, Cannabis sativa, Ficus carica, Lathyrus aphaca, Morus alba, Populus alba, Robinia pseudoacacia and Vitex negundo were the best Phyto-extractors and Phyto-stabilizers for most of the heavy metals in general and Mg, Ca, Fe, Cu and Na in particular (at p < 0.05). Structural Equation Modeling confirmed that marble waste pollution has a direct and significant (R2 =0.80) impact on proline synthesis and hence a role in combating the pollution. Chlorophyll content decreased by 4% in studied plant species when the concentration of pollutants increased. It is concluded that the studied bio-indicators - the abundant plant species of the Marble Waste Polluted Systems (MWPS) have a significant role in its remediation. Increasing proline accumulation and decreasing chlorophyll contents with an increase in pollution in the studied plants show resilience of the ecosystem in response to the external lithospheric toxicities. It is recommended that the recognized plant species could be planted abundantly to remediate the MWPS around the marble processing and other such industries and their catchments

Environmental sustainability and resilience in a polluted ecosystem via phytoremediation of heavy metals and plant physiological adaptations

Natural Ecosystems are being degraded significantly due to increasing industrial pollution. Marble pollution is one of them. It was hypothesized that such a polluted ecosystem host unique set of plant species growing and tolerating the level of the pollution they dwell in. These can be used as phytoremediators successively, once the level of their tolerance is determined for environmental sustainability and resilience. The current research work was aimed to assess the phytoremediation ability of the selected resistant plant species by studying their physiological adaptations in the Marble Waste Polluted Ecosystem (MWPE) of northern Pakistan. Quantitative Ecological Techniques (QET) were adopted to sample the vegetation of polluted zones, initially. Indicator species were identified using Indicator Species and Total Importance Value, Indices. Topmost indicator plants were further evaluated for environmental sustainability and resilience based on indicator species analysis and a higher importance value index in the region for their phytoremediation abilities using Biological Concentration Factor (BCF), Translocation Factor (TF) and Bioaccumulation coefficient (BAC) analyses using atomic absorption spectrophotometric techniques. Physiological responses i.e., Proline accumulation and chlorophyll contents (a, b and carotenoids) for each indicator plant species were recorded and examined using standard experimental protocols. Atomic absorption spectrophotometry was also used to assess heavy metals concentration. All the collected data were analyzed through Structural Equation Modeling, Mixed effect modeling and Regression analysis using R software. Preliminary results showed that out of 220 species, 19 indicator plants, i.e., Adiantum capillus-veneris, Ailanthus altissima, Albizia lebbeck, Calotropis procera, Cynodon dactylon, Datura innoxia, Debregeasia salicifolia, Desmostachya bipinnata, Dodonaea viscosa, Erigeron bonariensis, Ficus carica, Morus alba, Morus nigra, Parthenium hysterophorus, Persicaria glabra, Ricinus communis, Setaria viridis, Tamarix aphylla and Withania somnifera were the significant phytoextractor and phyto-stabilizer of potential toxic elements (Cr, Ni, Cu, Mn, Zn, Fe, Co, Cd, Ca and Mg) based on bioaccumulation coefficient, translocation and biological concentration factors. These indicators increase the accumulation of proline osmolyte and decrease chlorophyll-a, chlorophyll-b and total carotenoids as a defense or survival mechanism against pollution. These results were reconfirmed through Structural Equation Modeling, Mixed Effect Modeling and Bivariate Regression. It was concluded that the indicator plants have a significant role in the cleaning of ornamental rocks pollution and hence in the environmental sustainability and resilience. It is recommended that these indicator plants can be grown to remediate the heavy metals or PTEs released from the MWPE and their vicinities for better environmental management and pollution control in the subtropical regions of the world.</p

Application of mesoporous silica nanoparticles as drug delivery carriers for chemotherapeutic agents

Recently, remarkable efforts have focused on research towards enhancing and delivering efficacious and advanced therapeutic agents. Even though this involves significant challenges, innovative techniques and materials have been explored to overcome these. The advantageous properties of mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs), such as unique morphologies and geometries, makes then favorable for use for various drug delivery targeting purposes, particularly in cancer therapy. As we discuss here, MSNs have been utilized over the past few decades to improve the efficiency of anticancer drugs by enhancing their solubility to render them suitable for application, reducing adverse effects, and improving their anticancer cytotoxic efficiency

Application of mesoporous silica nanoparticles as drug delivery carriers for chemotherapeutic agents

Recently, remarkable efforts have focused on research towards enhancing and delivering efficacious and advanced therapeutic agents. Even though this involves significant challenges, innovative techniques and materials have been explored to overcome these. The advantageous properties of mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs), such as unique morphologies and geometries, makes then favorable for use for various drug delivery targeting purposes, particularly in cancer therapy. As we discuss here, MSNs have been utilized over the past few decades to improve the efficiency of anticancer drugs by enhancing their solubility to render them suitable for application, reducing adverse effects, and improving their anticancer cytotoxic efficiency