Papers by Zainab Almarhoon
Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy
Journal of Chemistry, Mar 2, 2023
Recently, magnetite nanoparticles (MNPs) have gained great attention for oil spill cleanup due to... more Recently, magnetite nanoparticles (MNPs) have gained great attention for oil spill cleanup due to their unique properties, e.g., high oil removal efciency, high surface area, and response to an external magnetic feld. Te efciency of MNPs for oil spill uptake can be enhanced by functionalizing their surface using diferent materials. Furthermore, the functionalization of MNP surface using these materials promotes their chemical stability. Tis study aims to functionalize the surface of magnetite nanoparticles (MNPs) using two newly synthesized hydrophobic ionic liquids (ILs) and apply them for oil spill cleanup. ILs were synthesized by the reaction of glycidyl-4-nonyl ether (GE) with fatty amines, either octadecylamine (OA) or dodecylamine (DA), to yield the corresponding amines, GEOA and GEDA, respectively. GEOA and GEDA were quaternized with acetic acid (AA) to produce the corresponding ILs, GEOA-IL and GEDA-IL. Te produced ILs, GEOA-IL and GEDA-IL, were applied for the surface modifcation of magnetite nanoparticles (MNPs), producing surface-modifed MNPs, GO-MNPs and GD-MNPs, respectively. GO-MNPs and GD-MNPs were characterized using Fourier transform infrared, X-ray difraction, transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, contact angle, and vibrating sample magnetometer. Teir oil removal efciency (ORE) was investigated at diferent MNP : crude oil ratios ranging from 1 : 1-1 : 50. GO-MNPs and GD-MNPs showed high ORE even at low MNP ratios. Furthermore, GO-MNPs showed higher oil removal efciency than GD-MNPs, which may be explained using GEOA-IL containing a longer alkyl chain for MNP surface modifcation in comparison to GEDA-IL. Furthermore, GO-MNPs and GD-MNPs displayed excellent reusability in fve cycles, with a slight decrease in ORE with increasing cycles.
Materials Today Chemistry
Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity
Studies of the ethyl acetate extract bark extract of Olea ferruginea led to the isolation of one ... more Studies of the ethyl acetate extract bark extract of Olea ferruginea led to the isolation of one new compound Ferruginan A (1) in addition to two known compounds, Ferruginan (2) and cycloolivil (3). Structures of the isolated compounds were confirmed by mass spectrometry (MS) and NMR spectral data. The ethyl acetate fraction and compounds (1–3) were evaluated against breast cancer cell line (MCF-7) and as antioxidants using the free radical scavenging assay. Results revealed that compound 2 exhibits significant antioxidant activity with an I C 50 value of 21.74 μg/mL. In addition, the ethyl acetate fraction showed good cytotoxic activity (79.31% inhibition at 250 μg/mL), whereas compounds 1–3 exerted mild cytotoxic activity ( I C 50 = 8.03 – 12.01 μ g / mL ) as compared to the standard ( I C 50 = 4.41 μ g / mL ) against MCF-7. Docking studies suggested that antioxidant activity is due to the chelation of compounds with copper present in the active site of tyrosinase. These resul...
BioMed Research International
To prospect an isozyme-specific, effective inhibitor against the physiologically-crucial enzyme p... more To prospect an isozyme-specific, effective inhibitor against the physiologically-crucial enzyme phosphodiesterase 1 (PDE1), phytochemicals from Pistacia integerrima galls were screened. The chloroform fraction of gall extract was subjected to column chromatographic which led to the isolation of compound 1, elucidated to be 5-hydroxy-7-methoxy-2-(4-methoxyphenyl)-4H-chromen-4-one (a flavone). In vitro and in silico PDE1 inhibitory activity of the compound 1 was investigated. EDTA, a known PDE1 inhibitor, was used as the reference. The flavone exhibited in vitro attenuation towards snake venom PDE1. IC50 response was superior to the standard chelator. An in silico molecular docking study was carried out using 3D structure of PDE1 to study the binding interactions of compound 1. The docking study predicted that flavone had a lower binding affinity (-7.6 kcal/mol) and total energy (-95 kcal/mol) score compared to EDTA. The minimal energy associated with the ligand-protein complex implie...
Main Group Chemistry
Globally, novel coronavirus (nCoV19) outbreak is a great concern to humanity owing to the unavai... more Globally, novel coronavirus (nCoV19) outbreak is a great concern to humanity owing to the unavailability of effective medication or vaccine to date. Therefore, the development of drugs having anti-COVID-19 potential is a need of time. In this milieu, in-silico studies have proven to be rapid, inexpensive and effective as compared to other experimental studies. Evidently, natural products have shown significant potential in drug development to curtail different ailments, which have opened a new horizon in the screening of anti-COVID-19 agents. In this study, in-silico analysis were performed on derivatives of amentoflavone (4′, 4′′′-Dimethylamentoflavone, 4′′′, 7-Di-O-Methylamentoflavone, 4′′′′′′-methylamentoflavone, 4′-Monomethylamentoflavone, 7,4′-Dimethylamentoflavone, 7′-O-Methylamentoflavone, 7-O-methylamentoflavone, Heveaflavone, kayaflavone, and Sciadopitysin) and FDA approved anti-viral drug (camostatmesylate). All the derivatives of amentoflavone and FDA-approved anti-viral...
Inorganic Chemistry Communications
Cancer Nanotechnology
Nano-biotechnology-based clinical applications to cure health-related issues have gained huge att... more Nano-biotechnology-based clinical applications to cure health-related issues have gained huge attention among the scientific community and hold great promise to limit cancer metastasis. In this study, green-derived silver nanoparticles were synthesized by using leaf extract of Litchi chinensis. Characterization of biosynthesized silver nanoparticles was performed by using UV–Vis spectroscopy, FTIR, XRD, EDS, and SEM analysis. The clinical application of green-drive nanoparticles was investigated by using MCF-7 cancer cell lines. MCF-7 breast cancer cell lines were analyzed against three different treatments. (i) Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), (ii) miR34a mimics and (iii) Co-delivery of AgNPs and miR34a mimics. Cell viability was determined by MTT assay and, extraction of mRNA and cDNA synthesis were performed after successful cellular transfection. qRT-PCR was done for expression analysis of DR4 and DR5 upon exogenous delivery of all 3 treatments. Results indicate that L. chinensis l...
Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects
Materials Chemistry and Physics
Journal of Nanomaterials
Green silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and crude ethanolic, methanolic, aqueous, and acetonic extract... more Green silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and crude ethanolic, methanolic, aqueous, and acetonic extracts from leaves of Agave americana, Mentha spicata, and Mangifera indica were scrutinized for possible antineoplastic and cytotoxic efficacy. In this study, all the synthesized AgNPs were characterized using UV-Vis spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, SEM (scanning electron microscopy), TEM (transmission electron microscopy), EDX-spectroscopy, and simultaneous thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA). Results of various characterization analyses performed in this study revealed that synthesized AgNPs had the highest absorption at 410-430 nm, polycrystalline structure with sizes ranging from 23 to 38 nm, and were thermally stable up to 350°C. Furthermore, it was manifested that phytoproduced AgNPs from A. americana revealed good antineoplastic activity (69%). M. indica- and M. spicata-based AgNPs displayed moderate activity against PC-3 (prostate cancer cell line). Similarly...
Journal of Environmental Management
Photodiagnosis and Photodynamic Therapy
Environmental pollution and various bacterial strains cause severe health problems. Thus, it is a... more Environmental pollution and various bacterial strains cause severe health problems. Thus, it is arguing to synthesize new materials and develop new techniques which are used against these hazardous pathogens and components. In this research work, sustainable and effective Co/ZnO nanocomposites were prepared via a new hydrothermal technique and ammonia evaporation method. The synthesized nanomaterial was analytically characterized through various techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-vis spectroscopy, Scanning electron microscope (SEM), High transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The as prepared nanocomposite was tested for photodegradation of methylene blue (MB). This test was performed both in visible light and in dark condition. The results demonstrate that the said material is more efficient in light compared to dark conditions and decomposed more than 80% MB dye only in 60 min. The synthesized nanomaterial Co/ZnO was also tested against highly drug resistant bacteria Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus both in light and dark. Hence, the antibacterial assessment indicates the zone of inhibition in visible light of Co/ZnO counter with Escherichia coli is 15 (±0.2) and for Staphylococcus aureus is 18 (±0.4) mm and in dark for Escherichia coli is 11 (±0.6) and for Staphylococcus aureus is 14 (±0.1) mm. Moreover, the detail mechanism, reactive oxygen species production and bacterial surface damage were also observed. Generally, present contribution demonstrate that Co/ZnO nanomaterial is stable, eco-friendly photocatalyst shows high strength against MB degradation and also shows strong inhibition effect against pathogens in visible light.
Inorganic Chemistry Communications, 2022
Journal of Molecular Structure, 2022
BioMed Research International, 2021
Investigation on medicinal plants' therapeutic potential has gained substantial importance in... more Investigation on medicinal plants' therapeutic potential has gained substantial importance in the discovery of novel effective and safe therapeutic agents. The present study is aimed at investigating the hepatoprotective potential of Seriphidium kurramense methanolic extract (SKM) against carbon tetrachloride- (CCl4-) induced hepatotoxicity in rats. S. kurramense is one of the most imperative plants for its various pharmacological activities. Therefore, this study was aimed at evaluating the hepatoprotective potential against CCl4-induced liver toxicity. The serum samples were analyzed for alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) together with the oxidative stress mediator levels as nitric oxide (NO), malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH), reduced glutathione (GSH), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) as well as peroxidation and H2O2 activity. CCl4 administration resulted in an elevated free radical generation, altered liver marker (AST and ALT) enzymes,...
Chinese Journal of Integrative Medicine, 2021
New coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 are singlestranded RNA genome-containing viruses with medical and vete... more New coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 are singlestranded RNA genome-containing viruses with medical and veterinary importance. (1) These include transmissible gastroenteritis virus, porcine epidemic diarrhea virus, and the human CoVs. The SARS-CoV-2 belongs to the betacoronavirus genus similar to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus, and the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus. (1,2) The human coronaviruses SARS-CoV-2 are positive-sense with a length of 30,000 bp and single-stranded RNA viruses. (3) The two groups of proteins characterized in SARS-CoV-2 are (i) structural proteins (e.g., spike (S), nucleocapsid (N), matrix (M) and envelope (E)) and (ii) non-structural proteins (e.g., proteases, 3-chymotrypsin-like protease (3CL PRO), papain-like protease (PL PRO) and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp). (1) The CoV polyprotein encodes two proteases like 3CL PRO , and PL PRO which share in its processing and release of the translated non-structural proteins. (4)
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Papers by Zainab Almarhoon