Muhammad Ovais

• PhD
• Researcher at BGI

Advances in the field of nanotechnology together with an increase understanding of tumor immunology have paved the way for the development of more personalized cancer immuno‐nanomedicines. Nanovehicles, due to their specific physicochemical properties, are emerging as key translational moieties in tackling tumor‐promoting, M2‐like tumor‐associated...

Tailoring personalized cancer nanomedicines demands detailed understanding of the tumor microenvironment. In recent years, smart upconversion nanoparticles with the ability to exploit the unique characteristics of the tumor microenvironment for precise targeting have been designed. To activate upconversion nanoparticles, various bio‐physicochemical...

Viral infections have been proven a severe threat to human beings, and the pandemic of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a societal health concern, including mental distress and morbidity. Therefore, the early diagnosis and differentiation of viral infections are the prerequisite for curbing the local and global spread of viruses. To t...

Increased antibiotic resistance has become a real healthcare challenge for humanity. Several novel approaches for the formation of nanomaterials have been developed to tackle different bacterial strains and wound disinfection. Short peptide modulated metal nanomaterials have gained attention because of their biocompatibility and ability to reduce m...

Phytochemicals offer immense promise for sustainable development and production of nanotechnology-enabled products. In the present study, Olax nana Wall. ex Benth. (family: Olacaceae) aqueous extract was used as an effective stabilizing agent to produce biogenic silver (ON-AgNPs) and gold nanoparticles (ON-AuNPs), which were investigated for biocom...

The number of multi-drug-resistant bacteria has increased over the last few decades, which has caused a detrimental impact on public health worldwide. In resolving antibiotic resistance development among different bacterial communities, new antimicrobial agents and nanoparticle-based strategies need to be designed foreseeing the slow discovery of n...

Organic Nanomaterials for Cancer Phototheranostics highlights the use of biocompatible building blocks to make nanomaterials that can aid in medical treatment through better diagnostic and antitumor efficacy. The book synthesizes the current literature on synthetic strategies and designs based on peptides, proteins, polymers, lipids, and their conj...

We have been through the largest monkeypox (Mpox) outbreak that has ever occurred globally. At present, the application of nanotechnology-based approaches to tackle Mpox has not been established. There are no US FDA-approved treatments for Mpox and it is plausible that, in forthcoming studies, researchers may investigate the use of multivalent nano...

Organic nanomaterials are a class of materials that are composed of organic compounds and have dimensions on the nanometer scale. These materials have been widely studied for potential applications in various fields, including medicine and biotechnology. In particular, organic nanomaterials have been shown to have great potential as therapeutics an...

Metal ion–coordinated self-assembled short-chain amino acid peptide molecules with multi-photon excitation wavelengths and their photoluminescence properties are advantageous for fluorescence-based diagnostics and treatments of biological diseases based on their extra features of antibacterial agents. We have designed a novel strategy based on tryp...

Drug‐resistant bacteria and highly infectious viruses are among the major global threats affecting the human health. There is an immediate need for novel strategies to tackle this challenge. Copper‐based nanoparticles (CBNPs) have exhibited a broad antimicrobial capacity and are receiving increasing attention in this context. In this review, we des...

Phytoextracts modulated synthesis of nano‐scaled spherical lanthanum oxide nanoparticles (La2O3 NPs) are reported using the aqueous extracts of Hyphaene thebaica as a bioreducing and chelating agent. X‐ray diffraction (XRD) pattern revealed sharp peaks and single‐phase purity. The Debye–Scherrer approximation indicated an average crystallite size o...

Optical detection of HIV-1 DNA with surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is a quick and versatile method, having great potential in screening and characterization of HIV-1 virus particle. We have synthesized and applied novel gold nanocubes (AuNCs) for signal enhancement of SERS to study HIV-1 DNA strands by taking into account the specific v...

Over the past few years, taxanes have emerged as a new class of anticancer drugs. Docetaxel (DTX) the prototype of this class has been approved for the treatment of broad range of cancers. However, to date the commercial preparation of DTX (Taxotere ®) is accompanying adverse side effects, intolerance, and poor solubility, which can be overcome by...

The rise of bacterial resistance to current antibiotics poses a threat to humanity and reinforces the need for new-generation nanomaterials with antibacterial properties and biosafety. Several types of nanomaterials have been shown to hold great potential to combat pathogenic microorganisms. Self-assembly of peptides and proteins, a spontaneous and...

Achieving a complete response to cancer treatment is a severe challenge, and has puzzled humans for a long time. Fortunately, radiotherapy (RT) gives rise to a common clinical treatment method, during which the usage of radiosensitizers is essential. Among preclinical radiosensitizers, bismuth-based nanoparticles (Bi-based NPs) are widely explored...

Tumor cells, owing to their relentless division, require increased nutrient supply.This is made possible by angiogenesis, that is, the formation of new blood vesselsincreases the bloodflow toward tumor cells, thereby promoting the supply ofoxygen and vital nutrients required for the proliferation of tumor cells. Decreasingthe bloodflow to the tumor...

The innovative research in genome editing domains such as CRISPR-Cas technology has enabled genetic engineers to manipulate the genomes of living organisms effectively in order to develop the next generation of therapeutic tools. This technique has started the new era of “genome surgery”. Despite these advances, the barriers of CRISPR-Cas9 techniqu...

Surgical site infections are the most common and serious concern in health care settings. Currently, systemic administration of prophylactic antibiotics or local disinfection treatment is prescribed after surgical procedures. However, prolonged use of antibiotics may pose adverse side effects, bacterial resistance and hospitalization costs. Recentl...

Diverse applications of nanoparticles (NPs) have revolutionized various sectors in society. In the recent decade, particularly magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) have gained enormous interest owing to their applications in specialized areas such as medicine, cancer theranostics, biosensing, catalysis, agriculture, and the environment. Controlled surface...

Biogenic Nanoparticles for Cancer Theranostics outlines the synthesis of biogenic nanoparticles to become cancer theranostic agents. The book also discusses their cellular interaction and uptake, pharmacokinetics, biodistribution, drug delivery efficiency, and other biological effects. Additionally, the book explores the mechanism of their penetrat...

Nanozymes are next-generation artificial enzymes having distinguished features such as cost-effective, enhanced surface area, and high stability. However, limited selectivity and moderate activity of nanozymes in the biochemical environment hindered their usage and encouraged researchers to seek alternative catalytic materials. Recently, metal-orga...

Past few years have seen a paradigm shift towards ecofriendly, green and biological fabrication of metal nanoparticles (MNPs) for diverse nanomedicinal applications especially in cancer nanotheranostics. Besides, the well-known green synthesis methods of plant materials, the potential of the microbial world (bacteria, fungi, alga, etc.) in biofabri...

Polygonum hydropiper L. and related species are reported to possess neuroprotective potentials. In an attempt to validate its anti-Alzheimer’s potentials, leaf oils (Ph. Lo) were extensively evaluated in this study against several in vitro and in vivo models of Alzheimer’s disease. The Ph. Lo were tested against pathological targets of Alzheimer’s...

Cancer is a collection of ailments that severely affect the cellular metabolism established due to anomalous signaling mechanisms including cell proliferation, angiogenesis, and metastasis. Biogenic nanoparticles due to their efficacy, cost-effectiveness, and green nature provide an alternate paradigm to cancer theranostics. In this chapter we will...

Cancer is the most threatening disease for humans worldwide. While conventional treatment modalities have limitations and result in adverse side effects, nanotechnology offers a new avenue in the development of cancer nanomedicine. Herein, we discuss the state-of-the-art principles in the design and discovery of nanomaterials for clinical use in th...

Inorganic nanomaterials are emerging as widely applicable and solving complex modern world problems. Herein, this chapter introduces the use of microorganisms, especially their enzymes, for the synthesis of eco-friendly and cost-effective NPs. The use of enzyme in the synthetic process lets researcher controls the size, shape, growth, and reaction...

In the present time, coronavirus disease COVID-19 has become prevalent across the globe and declared as a pandemic by the world health organization (WHO). As of now, many vaccines and medicines are in the approval process or at different stages of preclinical investigations to coup with the COVID-19. Coronavirus has a spike protein, which tends to...

Enzyme catalysis is an emerging technique that has been employed to identify the protein of interest in a complex cellular environment. In present article, we have utilized optical techniques for the identification of enzyme mediated catalysis of fusion protein to study the short chain amino acid epitope in both aqueous solution and cellular enviro...

Nanobiotechnology is an emerging discipline that focuses on the synthesis, development, and efficacy of nanomaterials for diverse applications in different consumer products such as personal care, hygiene, apparel, and footwear as well as biomedical and pharmaceutical applications. Until now, significant research has been carried out on the synthes...

The interplay between nanotechnology and pathogens offers a new quest to fight against human infections. Inspiring from their unique thermal, magnetic, optical, or redox potentials, numerous nanomaterials have been employed for bacterial theranostics. The last decade has seen dramatic progress in the development of various nano-antimicrobials, whic...

In spite of radical advances in nanobiotechnology, the clinical translation of nanoparticle (NP)-based agents is still a major challenge due to various physiological factors that influence their interactions with biological systems. Recent decade witnessed meticulous investigation on protein corona (PC) that is the first surrounds NPs once administ...

Ethnopharmacological relevance Various plant parts of Persicaria hydropiper (L.) Delarbre (Syn.: Polygonum hydropiper L., Family: Polygonaceae) are used in traditional medicine systems in as astringent, sedative, antiseptic and also for the treatment of respiratory disorders, edema and snake bites. It is also used as a spice in many Asian countries...

Vibrational spectroscopy of peptides and peptide‐based self‐assembled macromolecules plays key role in early stage detection of cancerous and viral diseases. We provide here a rapid and accurate trace detection system for enzyme‐triggered peptide self‐assembly by taking a snapshot of peptide nanostructures to identify specific domains based on amin...

The recent projections indicate that Alzheimer's disease (AD) will be highly prevalent in elderly people within few years and therefore the scientific community has joined in hands to highlight it as a major disease for generations to come. The onset of the disease is however complex and needs vigorous research in understanding the potential causes...

Cancer is considered as a great health challenge liable for outstripped demises worldwide. Currently it is treated mainly by chemotherapy and radiotherapy. However, there is a perpetual demand for the development of novel therapeutic drugs to combat this devastating disease. In this regard nanomedicine can provide an alternative platform for its di...

Medicines are often consumed concurrently with food; sometimes to improve its absorption and efficacy. However, certain foods may modify the function of drug metabolizing enzymes or transport mechanisms that are crucial determinants of systemic drug availability. Extensive work has been reported on certain juices like grapefruit that affects the bi...

Associations of GSTM1, GSTT1 and CYP1A1 gene variants with risk of developing nasopharyngeal cancer were evaluated in this case-control study, in which 130 cases along with 151 population-based healthy controls of Pashtun ethnicity from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan were recruited. Socio-demographic data were obtained and blood samples we...

The emergence of multidrug resistant (MDR) pathogens is a global threat and has created problems in providing adequate treatment of many infectious diseases. Although the conventional antimicrobial agents are quite effective against several pathogens, yet there is a need for more effective antimicrobial agents against MDR pathogens. Herbal drugs an...

Modern research revealed that dietary consumption of flavonoids and flavonoids-rich foods significantly improves cognitive capabilities, inhibits or delays the senescence process and related neurological disorders including Alzheimer's disease (AD). The flavonoids rich foods such as green tea, cocoa, blue berry and other foods appear to improve sta...

The inhibition of Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and Butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) enzymes represents a potential target in the treatment of Alzheimer disease. AChE and BChE inhibition was studied by biogenic metal oxide nanoparticles (ZnO, NiO, Fe2O3, Co3O4 and PbO) synthesized using aqueous extracts of Sageretia thea (Osbeck.). The results demonstrat...

Background Plants represent an intricate and innovative source for the discovery of novel therapeutic remedies for the management of various ailments. The current study has been aimed to validate the therapeutic potential of ethnomedicinally significant plant Atriplex lasiantha Boiss. Methods The polarity based extraction process was carried out u...

During the last decade, metal nanoparticles (MtNPs) have gained immense popularity due to their characteristic physicochemical properties, as well as containing antimicrobial, anti-cancer, catalyzing, optical, electronic and magnetic properties. Primarily, these MtNPs have been synthesized through different physical and chemical methods. However, t...

Precise nanomedicine has been extensively explored for efficient cancer imaging and targeted cancer therapy, as evidenced by a few breakthroughs in their preclinical and clinical explorations. Here, we demonstrate the recent advances of intelligent cancer nanomedicine, and discuss the comprehensive understanding of their structure-function relation...

The currently available antimicrobial drugs against pathogenic microorganisms are inadequate to cope with the challenges of the newly emerging multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens. Other shortcomings include their partial absorption in the blood system accompanied with gastrointestinal problems such as vomiting, nausea and diarrhea. To overcome thes...

“many vital biological factors determines the faith and toxicological impact of NPs: NP–protein interaction, blood circulation, interaction with TME, tumor tissue penetration and internalization inside tumor cell. Furthermore, morphology, composition and surface chemistry of NPs are also the key influencers in the aforementioned biological processe...

Gold nanoparticles with unique optical and photo-thermal properties have promising application in nan-otheranostics, achieving the integration of diagnosis and therapy in a single platform. Compared withnormal physiological environment, tumor tissue has a unique and complex tumor microenvironment,which plays a key role in tumor progression, metasta...

Alzheimer disease (AD) is characterized by cognitive inability manifested through the accumulation of β-amyloid, formation of hyper phosphorylated neurofibrillary tangles (NFT’s) and malfunctioned cholinergic system. The degeneration integrity of neuronal network can appear long after the onset of disease. Nanotechnology based interventions has ope...

Metal-based nanoparticles have gained tremendous popularity because of their interesting physical, biological, optical, and magnetic properties. These nanoparticles can be synthesized using a variety of different physical, chemical, and biological techniques. The biological means are largely preferred as it provides an environmentally benign, green...

This study aimed to perform a systematic review and metaanalysis of papers discussing the efficacy of microbial synthesized metallic nanoparticles (MNPs) against cancerous and normal cell lines by exploiting Generalized Linear (BGL) model. Data was systematically Bayesian collected from published papers of 1 January 2010 to 21 February 2017 via Coc...

Nanotechnology has emerged as a prominent scientific discipline in the technological revolution of this millennium. The scientific community has focused on the green synthesis of metal nanoparticles as compared to physical and chemical methods due to its eco-friendly nature and high efficacy. Medicinal plants have been proven as the paramount sourc...

The present study aims to evaluate phytochemical and pharmacological potentials of Dysphania ambrosioides (L.) Mosyakin & Clemants previously known as Chenopodium ambrosioides L. Extraction was carried out using 14 solvents with wide range of polarity to find out the best solvent system for each bioactivity. Total phenolic and flavonoids contents w...

Sorafenib is the only approved targeted agent against hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). It has several limitations predominantly poor aqueous solubility and hepatic first-pass effect that limits its oral delivery leading to low bioavailability, large inter-subject variability, narrow therapeutic window and side effects. Tosylate is used to improve it...

Background The medicinal importance of a novel plant Olax nana Wall. ex Benth. (family: Olacaceae) was revealed for the first time via HPLC-DAD finger printing, qualitative phytochemical analysis, antioxidant, cholinesterase, and α-glucosidase inhibitory assays. Methods The crude methanolic extract of O. nana (ON-Cr) was subjected to qualitative ph...

The currently available antimicrobial drugs against pathogenic microorganisms are inadequate to cope with the challenges of the newly emerging multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens. Other shortcomings include their partial absorption in the blood system accompanied with gastrointestinal problems such as vomiting, nausea and diarrhea. To overcome thes...

Objectives: The present study aimed to examine the impact of rapid virological response (RVR) and early virological response (EVR) on sustained virological response (SVR) in chronic hepatitis C genotype 3a individuals. Methods: The patients were given antiviral therapy with IFN-α-2b, 3 million units 3 times a week and 800-1,200 mg of ribavirin d...

Antimicrobial resistance is a challenging task for researchers to develop new strategies. Green synthesis of AuNPs is an eco-friendly approach, which can be utilized in the microbistatic and microbicidal activities. The current study is focused on Justicia glauca (aqueous leaf extract) mediated AuNPs synthesis at room temperature by treating chloro...

Cancer is one of the most common health problems responsible for outnumbered deaths worldwide. Nanomedicine plays an important role in developing alternative and more effective treatment strategies for cancer theranostics. However, the toxicity, high cost and nanoparticles (NPs) production complexity are some of the major issues that obstruct the u...

Insight into the hepatoprotective effects of medicinally important plants is important, both for physicians and researchers. Main reasons for the use of herbal medicine include their lesser cost compared with conventional drugs, lesser undesirable drug reactions and thus high safety, and reduced side effects. The present review focuses on the compo...

It contain Shallow water maze (SWM) apparatus is provided as additional/Supplementary File.

It contain detail process of genotyping transgenic animals.

It contain NMR and Mass spectrum of β-sitosterol.

The family Polygonaceae is known for its traditional use in the management of various neurological disorders including Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In search of new anti-AD drugs, β-sitosterol isolated from Polygonum hydropiper was subjected to in vitro, in vivo, behavioral and molecular docking studies to confirm its possibility as a potential anti-A...

Doxorubicin (DOX) is the most effective chemotherapeutic drug developed against broad range of cancers such as solid tumors, transplantable leukemias and lymphomas. Conventional DOX induced cardiotoxicity has limited its use. FDA approved drugs i.e. non-pegylated liposomal (Myocet®) and pegylated liposomal (Doxil®) formulations have no doubt shown...

Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection is a major health concern worldwide. The presence of both HCV viral RNA and NS5A proteins in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) indicate the efficacy of the treatment during sustained virological response (SVR) and end of treatment response (ETR). The main objective of this study was to detect the absence o...

Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection is a major health concern worldwide. The presence of both HCV viral RNA and NS5A proteins in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) indicate the efficacy of the treatment during sustained virological response (SVR) and end of treatment response (ETR). The main objective of this study was to detect the absence o...

Green and ecofriendly route for biosynthesis of lead oxide nanoparticles has been successfully demonstrated using aqueous leaf extracts of Sageretia thea (Osbeck.). Biosynthesized PbO (∼27nm) nanoparticles were extensively characterized using XRD, FTIR, Raman, EDS etc. Morphology was studied through HR-TEM/SEM. As synthesized nanoparticles were inv...

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been undeniable for its antimicrobial activity while its antitumour potential is still limited. Therefore, the present study focused on determining cytotoxic effects of AgNPs on Michigan cancer foundation-7 (MCF-7) breast cancer cells and its corresponding mechanism of cell death. Herein, the authors developed a bi...

Aim: To investigate the physical and biological properties of bioinspired zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles via aqueous leaf extracts of Sageretia thea. Experimental: Nanoparticles of size approximately 12.4 nm were extensively characterized. In vitro antimicrobial, cytotoxic, biocompatible and enzyme inhibition assays were performed. Results: Si...

NiO nanoparticles are biosynthesized using Sageretia thea (Osbeck.) aqueous leave extracts and their biological activities are reported. Nanoparticles (18nm) were characterized through XRD, ATR-FTIR, EDS, SAED, HR-SEM/TEM and Raman spectroscopy. Antibacterial activity was investigated against six pathogenic bacterial strains (gram positive and gram...

Cobalt oxide nanoparticles were successfully biosynthesized by complete green process using aqueous leaf extracts of Sageretia thea as chelating agent. Diverse techniques were applied for characterization. Antibacterial (with and without UV illumination), antileishmanial, antioxidant and enzyme inhibition applications were assessed, while freshly i...

Sageretia thea (Osbeck.) was used as an effective chelating agent for the biosynthesis of iron oxide nanoparticles (IONP's) and extensively characterized through XRD, FTIR, Raman spectroscopy, Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy, HR-SEM/TEM and SAED. Antibacterial assays against five human pathogenic bacterial strains were carried out and minimum inhibi...

The emergence of multi-drug-resistant microorganisms in hospital environments is a global public health problem and threat to everyone, especially HIV-infected patients. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and coagulase-negative Staphylococci (CoNS) are the major causative agents associated with morbidity and mortality in HIV patient...

Emerging infectious diseases pose a serious threat to public health security; this is especially true in the underdeveloped world because of limited resources to combat them. These emerging pathogens are characterized by a novel mode of pathogenesis and, in some cases, a broad host range. Over the past few decades, Pakistan has suffered a great dea...

Over the past few years, taxanes have emerged as a new class of anticancer drugs. Docetaxel (DTX) the prototype of this class, has been approved for the treatment of broad range of cancers. However, to date the commercial preparation of docetaxel (Taxotere®) is accompanying adverse side effects, intolerance and poor solubility, which can be overcom...

The design, development, and biomedical applications of phytochemical-based green synthesis of biocompatible colloidal gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are becoming an emerging field due to several advantages (safer, eco-friendly, simple, fast, energy efficient, low-cost, and less toxic) over conventional chemical synthetic procedures. Biosynthesized col...

Background The emergence of multidrug resistant (MDR) pathogens is of great concern to the global health community. Our ability to effectively treat diseases is based on the discovery of potent drugs for the treatment of these challenging diseases. Traditional medicines are one of the major sources for the discovery of safe, effective and economica...

Background The estimated hepatitis C virus (HCV) carriers are approximately 10 million in Pakistan which usually progresses to chronic hepatitis, with rare cases of spontaneous viral eradication. The present article reviews the treatment status of HCV infection in Pakistani population and various factors associated with the treatment response rates...