Biosynthesis of copper nanoparticles using Alstonia scholaris leaves and its antimicrobial studies Ahmad Nasir Labaran, Zakariyya Uba Zango, Giriraj Tailor, Ahmed Alsadig, Fahad Usman, Muhammad Tukur Mukhtar, Alhassan Muhammad Garba, Raed Alhathlool, Khalid Hassan Ibnaouf, Osamah A. Aldaghri Scientific Reports, 2024 The utilization of plants for the production of metallic nanoparticles is gaining significant attention in research. In this study, we conducted phytochemical screening of Alstonia scholaris (A. scholaris) leaves extracts using various solvents, including chloroform, ethyl acetate, n-hexane, methanol, and water. Our findings revealed higher proportions of flavonoids and alkaloids in both solvents compared to other phytochemical species. In the methanol, extract proteins, anthraquinone and reducing sugar were not detected. On the other hand, the aqueous extract demonstrated the presence of amino acids, reducing sugar, phenolic compounds, anthraquinone, and saponins. Notably, ethyl acetate and chloroform extracts displayed the highest levels of bioactive compounds among all solvents. Intrigued by these results, we proceeded to investigate the antibacterial properties of the leaf extracts against two major bacterial strains, Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). All extracts exhibited significant zones of inhibition against both bacterial isolates, with S. aureus showing higher susceptibility compared to E. coli. Notably, the methanol extract displayed the most potent I hibitory effect against all organisms. Inspired by the bioactivity of the methanol extract, we employed it as a plant-based material for the green synthesis of copper nanoparticles (Cu-NPs). The synthesized Cu-NPs were characterized using Fourier infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), UV–visible spectroscopic analysis, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The observed color changes confirmed the successful formation of Cu-NPs, while the FTIR analysis matched previously reported peaks, further verifying the synthesis. The SEM micrographs indicated the irregular shapes of the surface particles. From the result obtained by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopic analysis, Cu has the highest relative abundance of 67.41 wt%. Confirming the purity of the Cu-NPs colloid. These findings contribute to the growing field of eco-friendly nanotechnology and emphasize the significance of plant-mediated approaches in nanomaterial synthesis and biomedical applications.
Magnetoresistance and magneto-plasmonic sensors for the detection of cancer biomarkers: A bibliometric analysis and recent advances Fahad Usman, Kamarul Hawari Ghazali, Razali Muda, Nasrul Hadi Johari, John Ojur Dennis, Nissren Tamam, Abdelmoneim Sulieman, Yuanfa Ji Sensors and Actuators Reports, 2023 The conventional approaches to diagnosing cancer are expensive, often involve exposure to radiation, and struggle to identify early-stage lung cancer. As a result, the five-year survival rate is significantly reduced. Fortunately, promising alternatives using magnetoresistance (MR) and magneto-plasmonic sensors have emerged for swiftly, accurately, and inexpensively detecting cancer in its initial phases. These sensor technologies offer numerous advantages over their counterparts, such as minimal background noise, immunity to environmental influences, compatibility with nanofabrication methods, ability to detect multiple substances simultaneously, straightforward integration, high specificity, distinctive identifying capabilities, real-time monitoring, stability, label-free detection, and remarkable sensitivity for detecting individual molecules. Nevertheless, since the use of these techniques for cancer biomarker detection is relatively new, it is essential to conduct a bibliometric analysis and review recent literature to offer guidance to both early-career and established researchers in this domain. Consequently, this study performs a scientometric evaluation of the literature related to cancer biomarker detection using MR and magneto-plasmonic methods. The objective is to pinpoint current preferred techniques and challenges by examining statistics such as publication numbers, authors, countries, journals, and research interests. Furthermore, the paper also presents the latest advancements in MR and magneto-plasmonic sensors for cancer biomarker detection, with a focus on the last decade. In addition, an overview of the ongoing research in the field of MR and magneto-plasmonic sensors for detecting cancer biomarkers is highlighted. Finally, a summary on the level of current research including the significant accomplishments, challenges, and outlooks of MR and magneto-plasmonic sensors for the detection of cancer biomarkers are highlighted.
An overview on human exposure, toxicity, solid-phase microextraction and adsorptive removal of perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs) from water matrices Zakariyya Uba Zango, Baranitharan Ethiraj, Fahad S. Al-Mubaddel, Mohammad Mahtab Alam, Muhammad Abubakar Lawal, Haliru Aivada Kadir, Kuan Shiong Khoo, Zaharaddeen Nasiru Garba, Fahad Usman, Muttaqa Uba Zango, Jun Wei Lim Environmental Research, 2023 Perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs) are sub-class of perfluoroalkyl substances commonly detected in water matrices. They are persistent in the environment, hence highly toxic to living organisms. Their occurrence at trace amount, complex nature and prone to matrix interference make their extraction and detection a challenge. This study consolidates current advancements in solid-phase extraction (SPE) techniques for the trace-level analysis of PFCAs from water matrices. The advantages of the methods in terms of ease of applications, low-cost, robustness, low solvents consumption, high pre-concentration factors, better extraction efficiency, good selectivity and recovery of the analytes have been emphasized. The article also demonstrated effectiveness of some porous materials for the adsorptive removal of the PFCAs from the water matrices. Mechanisms of the SPE/adsorption techniques have been discussed. The success and limitations of the processes have been elucidated.
