@article{abbas_muhammad_ashar_mehfooz_rauf_bakhsh_nadeem_fu_2023, title={Comparison of the effect of zinc oxide nanoparticles and extract of Acorus calamus applied topically on surgical wounds inflicted on the skin of rabbits}, volume={26}, ISSN={["2300-2557"]}, DOI={10.24425/pjvs.2023.145035}, abstractNote={Antibiotics are used for postsurgical wound healing purposes but unfortunately, resistance against them demands some alternatives for quick recovery. Sepsis of wounds is a challenge for medical as well as veterinary professionals. Nanoparticles have significant advantages in wound treatment and drug resistance reversal. This study was conducted to appreciate emerging alternates of antibiotics like zinc oxide nanoparticles and plant extracts in topical application. Zinc oxide is considered a good wound healer and its nanoparticles are easy to access. So, the efficacies of zinc oxide nanoparticles and sweet flag plant extract ointments were tested to compare modern and traditional therapeutics as sweet flag is considered a pure medicinal plant. Rabbits were selected for this study due to the healing properties of their skin. Wounds were inflicted on the thoracolumbar region and treated for 29 days post-surgically daily with normal saline and the ointment of zinc oxide nanoparticles and sweet flag extract ointment, prepared in a hydrophilic solvent. Wound shrinkage was observed daily and histopathological analysis was made and results were compared. Zinc oxide nanoparticles ointment showed the most satisfactory results for every parameter included in the study. No side effects of its topical application were observed. Healing was normal without any complications. The preparations of zinc oxide nanoparticles may help in the era of antibiotic resistance as topical drugs in the future.}, number={2}, journal={POLISH JOURNAL OF VETERINARY SCIENCES}, author={Abbas, A. and Muhammad, S. A. and Ashar, A. and Mehfooz, S. A. and Rauf, A. and Bakhsh, M. and Nadeem, T. and Fu, H.}, year={2023}, pages={285–293} }
 @article{ashar_bhutta_shoaib_alharbi_fakhar-e-alam_atif_kulyar_mahfooz_boruah_eletmany_et al._2023, title={Cotton fabric loaded with ZnO nanoflowers as a photocatalytic reactor with promising antibacterial activity against pathogenic E. coli}, volume={16}, ISSN={1878-5352}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.arabjc.2023.105084}, DOI={10.1016/j.arabjc.2023.105084}, abstractNote={Nanofinishing is the process by which ultrafine dispersion of nanomaterials is applied to a textile for development of functionalities. The utilization of nano metal oxides as antimicrobial agents have shown a substantial antimicrobial property in cotton. In the present study, previously synthesized powder containing ZnO nanoflowers (ZnO NFs) was characterized for morphology, surface composition, roughness and charge using Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), Atomic force microscopy(AFM) and Zeta potential. Optical properties of crystalline ZnO were determined by Photoluminescence (PL), Diffused reflectance Spectroscopy (DRS) and bandgap energy determination. Highly crystalline, ZnO NFs bearing crystal defects and high surface charge were loaded onto the pristine cotton by dip coating method using Triton X-100 as dispersant and iSys MTX fabric binder. The pristine cotton fabric of 125g/m2 was nanofinished by loading 20,42 and 58 µg/cm2 (1-3 dip cycles) ZnO NFs respectively. The loading of ZnO NFs onto the surface of cotton fabric was confirmed by SEM and used for antibacterial activity against E. coli as a photocatalytic reactor. The prepared samples were irradiated to UV lamp of λmax =254 nm (15 min, 30 min, 45 min) and D65 artificial sunlight (60 min, 120 min, 180 min) to investigate their photocatalytic activity against pathogenic E. coli using modified Breed Smear's method. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of ZnO [email protected] cotton was determined as 19.53 µg/ml and 39.06 µg/ml respectively after exposure to UV light. After exposure to sunlight MIC and MBC observed were higher i.e. 156.25 µg/ml and 312.5 µg/ml respectively showing lesser activity in sunlight as compared to ionizing UV radiations. To verify the photocatalytic activity, hydroxyl radicals generated by ZnO [email protected] cotton were also determined by time resolved PL on exposure to UV lamp and D65 artificial sunlight. This nanofinished cotton is a promising candidate to be used as a medical textile with high antibacterial activity even after 20 washing cycles with only 5% decrease in efficiency.}, number={9}, journal={Arabian Journal of Chemistry}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Ashar, Ambreen and Bhutta, Zeeshan Ahmad and Shoaib, Muhammad and Alharbi, Nada K. and Fakhar-e-Alam, Muhammad and Atif, Muhammad and Kulyar, Muhammad Fakhar-e-Alam and Mahfooz, Ashar and Boruah, Prerona and Eletmany, Mohamed R. and et al.}, year={2023}, month={Sep}, pages={105084} }
 @article{ashar_qayyum_bhatti_aziz_bhutta_abdel-maksoud_saleem_eletmany_2023, title={Photo-Induced Super-Hydrophilicity of Nano-Calcite @ Polyester Fabric: Enhanced Solar Photocatalytic Activity against Imidacloprid}, volume={8}, ISSN={["2470-1343"]}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.3c02987}, DOI={10.1021/acsomega.3c02987}, abstractNote={The present study is pertinent to photo-induced, hydrophilic, nano-calcite grown onto the mercerized surface of polyester fabric (PF), treated with UV (10–50 min) and visible light (1–5 h) in addition to its photocatalytic application. The wicking method has been employed to select the most hydrophilic sample of fabric upon irradiation. The micrographs obtained by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy indicated the erosions occurring at the surface of nano-calcite after UV light irradiation, maintaining the crystallinity of the photocatalyst. The surface charge has been measured for as-fabricated and irradiated nano-calcite @ PF for the development of high negative zeta potential after UV light irradiation (−24.6 mV). The irradiated nano-calcite @ PF exhibited a significant change in its contact angle, and the wetting property was enhanced to a considerable extent on UV (55.32°) and visible light irradiation (79.00°) in comparison to as-fabricated nano-calcite @ PF (137.54°). The irradiated samples of nano-calcite @ PF delineated the redshift in harvesting of solar spectrum, as revealed by diffuse reflectance spectroscopy comparative spectra. Additionally, the band gap of untreated nano-calcite was found to be 3.5 eV, while UV- and visible light-irradiated PF showed a reduction in band gap up to 2.95 and 3.15 eV upon UV and visible light irradiation. The photocatalytic efficiency of mesoporous nano-calcite was evaluated by photocatalytic degradation of imidacloprid as the probe pollutant. Higher solar photocatalytic degradation of imidacloprid (94.15%) was attained by UV light-irradiated nano-calcite @ PF. The time-resolved photoluminescence study has verified the high photocatalytic activity of UV light-irradiated nano-calcite @ PF for the generation of high concentration of hydroxyl radicals. The highly efficient reusability of a nano-calcite-based solar photocatalytic reactor has been observed for 10 cycles of treatment of imidacloprid bearing wastewater. The enhanced photocatalytic activity of UV light-exposed (20 min), superhydrophilic, nano-calcite @ PF for mineralization of pollutants suggests it to be an efficient solar photocatalyst for environmental applications.}, number={39}, journal={ACS OMEGA}, publisher={American Chemical Society (ACS)}, author={Ashar, Ambreen and Qayyum, Ayesha and Bhatti, Ijaz Ahmad and Aziz, Humera and Bhutta, Zeeshan Ahmad and Abdel-Maksoud, Mostafa A. and Saleem, Muhammad Hamzah and Eletmany, Mohamed R.}, year={2023}, month={Sep}, pages={35722–35737} }
 @article{asif_chaudhry_ashar_bin rashid_hassan saleem_bin aslam_aziz_2023, title={Zinc oxide nanoparticles accelerate the healing of methicillin-resistant <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> (MRSA)-infected wounds in rabbits}, volume={13}, ISSN={["2588-9222"]}, DOI={10.4103/2221-1691.389574}, abstractNote={Objective: To synthesize zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) and evaluate their antibacterial and wound healing effects against wounds infected with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Methods: ZnONPs were prepared by sol-gel method and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). A total of 18 rabbits were divided into three groups: the ZnONPs group, the gentamicin group and the control group. A wound of 3 cm 2 was inflicted on each rabbit and contaminated with MRSA inoculum. Treatment was started from the fourth day post-surgery. Wound healing, microbiological analysis, and histopathological analysis were performed to assess the efficacy of ZnONPs ointment. Results: XRD analysis confirmed the hexagonal wurtzite structure of the ZnONPs with an average crystallite size of 29.23 nm. SEM revealed discoid-shaped ZnONPs with a rough surface and an average size of 48.36 nm. Energy-dispersive X-ray analysis confirmed the purity of ZnONPs. Moreover, the particle size ranged from 100-700 nm with a high agglomeration trend. Treatment with ZnONPs promoted MRSA-infected wound healing. In addition, ZnONPs showed a good antibacterial effect as evidenced by a dose-dependent increase in the zone of inhibition. Conclusions: ZnONPs accelerate the healing of MRSA-infected wounds. Therefore, it can be explored for the treatment of MRSA infection.}, number={11}, journal={ASIAN PACIFIC JOURNAL OF TROPICAL BIOMEDICINE}, author={Asif, Muhammad and Chaudhry, Ayesha Safdar and Ashar, Ambreen and Bin Rashid, Hamad and Hassan Saleem, Muhammad and Bin Aslam, Hassaan and Aziz, Abdul}, year={2023}, month={Nov}, pages={488–496} }