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The coral reefs of the Coral Triangle and nearby marine regions are the most biodiverse marine ecosystems in the world, providing ecosystem services to hundreds of millions of people. However, like coral reefs in other regions, these ecosystems are in decline due to a myriad of anthropogenically-induced stressors. To mitigate this decline, active coral reef restoration efforts have been increasing worldwide, including in this region. An important end-goal of coral reef restoration is the conservation of functional biodiversity of not only zooxanthellate scleractinian corals, but of all associated coral reef organisms. In this literature review, we collected papers from the Web of Science (1995- 2021) focused specifically on coral reef restoration from six countries and regions around the Coral Triangle (Japan, Taiwan, mainland China, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia) to examine how much coral reef restoration research has been performed in each area, when it was performed, what methodologies were used, what organisms were targeted, and whether any assessment of biodiversity was included. Our results show great disparity in the research efforts of each area, with the Philippines clearly leading research in the region with almost half of the literature examined, followed by Japan and Indonesia, with nascent efforts in mainland China, Taiwan, and Malaysia. Overall, for the region, research appears to be increasing with time. Research in most areas was concentrated in one or two locations, and almost exclusively focused only on corals. Only approximately 38% of papers mentioned biodiversity in any manner, and only 14% included organisms other than scleractinian corals in their results. It is clear from this review that extensive research and data gaps exist regarding coral reef restoration in the western Pacific and Coral Triangle, particularly from the viewpoint of biodiversity. It is hoped that research can address these gaps before coral reef ecosystems in the region decline even further. Os recifes de coral do Triângulo de Coral e regiões marinhas próximas são os ecossistemas marinhos mais biodiversos do mundo, fornecendo serviços ecossistêmicos a centenas de milhões de pessoas. No entanto, como os recifes de coral em outras regiões, esses ecossistemas estão em declínio devido a uma miríade de estressores induzidos antropogenicamente. Para mitigar esse declínio, os esforços ativos de restauração de recifes de coral têm aumentado em todo o mundo, incluindo nessa região. Um objetivo final importante da restauração do recife de coral é a conservação da biodiversidade funcional não apenas dos corais escleractíneos zooxantelas, mas de todos os organismos associados do recife de coral. Nesta revisão de literatura, coletamos artigos da Web of Science (1995- 2021) focados especificamente na restauração de recifes de coral de seis países e regiões ao redor do Triângulo de Coral (Japão, Taiwan, China continental, Filipinas, Malásia, Indonésia) para examinar como muitas pesquisas de restauração de recifes de coral foram realizadas em cada área, quando foram realizadas, quais metodologias foram utilizadas, quais organismos foram visados e se alguma avaliação da biodiversidade foi incluída. Nossos resultados mostram grande disparidade nos esforços de pesquisa de cada área, com as Filipinas claramente liderando as pesquisas na região com quase metade da literatura examinada, seguida pelo Japão e Indonésia, com esforços nascentes na China continental, Taiwan e Malásia. No geral, para a região, a pesquisa parece estar aumentando com o tempo. A pesquisa na maioria das áreas estava concentrada em um ou dois locais e quase exclusivamente focada apenas em corais. Apenas 38% dos artigos mencionaram a biodiversidade de alguma maneira e apenas 14% incluíram outros organismos além dos corais escleractíneos em seus resultados. É claro a partir desta revisão que existem lacunas de pesquisa e dados extensas sobre a restauração de recifes de coral no Pacífico ocidental e no Triângulo de Coral, particularmente do ponto de vista da biodiversidade. Espera-se que a pesquisa possa abordar essas lacunas antes que os ecossistemas de recifes de coral na região diminuam ainda mais

In this study, novel carbon dots (CDs) were discovered and separated from Artemisiae Argyi Folium Carbonisata (AAFC) aqueous extract. AAFC-CDs were characterised by a series of methods, mainly incl...

Baicalin (BA) has gained considerable attention in recent years for its multiple pharmacological activities. However, its optimum pharmaceutical potential has been limited by its poor solubility in water. In this study, for the first time, we discovered that novel water-soluble carbon dots (CDs, named RPC-CDs) from aqueous extracts of Radix Puerariae Carbonisata (RPC). The chemical composition and morphological features of the RPC-CDs we obtained were characterized using various spectroscopies and transmission electron microscopy and the CDs have a low toxicity against RAW 264.7 cells by the CCK-8 assay. Most importantly, the RPC-CDs were able to greatly increase the solubility of baicalin in water, which could be related to the glucuronide structure of baicalin. Moreover, the result of indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (icELISA) indicated that the area under the baicalin concentration-time curve value of baicalin-RPC-CDs (BA-CDs) was 1.7-fold greater than those of a baicalin suspension liquid (BA control) after oral administration at a dose of 72 mg/kg. This study not only provides evidence to support further investigation of the considerable potential of carbon dots, but also offers support for the future clinical application of baicalin.

Although recent research on intrinsic bioactivities of carbon dots is expanding, it is focused on basic aspects, which creates the need for broadening our knowledge about carbon dots to expand their uses in biomedical sciences and facilitate their application in clinical practice. Jiaosanxian is a charcoal traditional Chinese medicine with a pronounced effect on promoting appetite and digestion that is widely used as dyspepsia therapy in China. To study the underlying mechanism and the material requirements, we investigated carbon dots which was generated in the charcoal processing. In this study, we developed Jiaosanxian-derived carbon dots (JSX-CDs) with an average diameter of 4.4-6.4 nm. No further modifications or external surface passivation agents were required because Jiaosanxian naturally contains carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen. We found that carbon dots derived from different charcoal traditional Chinese medicines had both similarities and differences in their structural features, physicochemical properties, and bioactivities. Due to an abundance of surface groups, JSX-CDs showed a distinct solubility and bioactivity. In this study, we established a modified hyperglycemia model in mice to evaluate the hypoglycemic activity of JSX-CDs. We found that JSX-CDs were effective in regulating blood sugar and appeared to be very safe, indicating its potential use as a hypoglycemic agent. Our results do not only provide guidance for further research on intrinsic bioactivities of CDs but also give new insights into their potential biomedical and healthcare applications.

The purpose of this study was to explore the haemostatic effect of novel carbon dots (CDs) derived from Cirsii Japonici Herba Carbonisata (CJHC). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution TEM, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, high performance liquid chromatography and a cell counting kit-8 assay of CJHC-CDs were performed. Then the haemostatic effect of this CJHC-CDs was studied in bleeding mouse models. To explore their related haemostatic mechanism, coagulation parameters and platelets (PLT) were measured. The CJHC-CDs ranged in diameter from 2 to 11 nm and had a quantum yield of 0.63%. They exhibited no toxicity up to concentrations of 5752 μg/mL. After administration, mice had a significantly shortened bleeding time and the coagulation parameters and PLT significantly increased. These results showed the definite haemostatic effect of CJHC-CDs.