Fatima Noor

Bio: Fatima Noor is an academic researcher from Government College University, Faisalabad. The author has contributed to research in topics: Medicine & Biology. The author has an hindex of 3, co-authored 11 publications receiving 17 citations.

Network Pharmacology Approach for Medicinal Plants: Review and Assessment

Abstract: Natural products have played a critical role in medicine due to their ability to bind and modulate cellular targets involved in disease. Medicinal plants hold a variety of bioactive scaffolds for the treatment of multiple disorders. The less adverse effects, affordability, and easy accessibility highlight their potential in traditional remedies. Identifying pharmacological targets from active ingredients of medicinal plants has become a hot topic for biomedical research to generate innovative therapies. By developing an unprecedented opportunity for the systematic investigation of traditional medicines, network pharmacology is evolving as a systematic paradigm and becoming a frontier research field of drug discovery and development. The advancement of network pharmacology has opened up new avenues for understanding the complex bioactive components found in various medicinal plants. This study is attributed to a comprehensive summary of network pharmacology based on current research, highlighting various active ingredients, related techniques/tools/databases, and drug discovery and development applications. Moreover, this study would serve as a protocol for discovering novel compounds to explore the full range of biological potential of traditionally used plants. We have attempted to cover this vast topic in the review form. We hope it will serve as a significant pioneer for researchers working with medicinal plants by employing network pharmacology approaches.

Integrating Network Pharmacology and Molecular Docking Approaches to Decipher the Multi-Target Pharmacological Mechanism of Abrus precatorius L. Acting on Diabetes

Abstract: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a notable health care load that imposes a serious impact on the quality of life of patients. The small amount of reported data and multiple spectra of pathophysiological mechanisms of T2DM make it a challenging task and serious economic burden in health care management. Abrus precatorius L. is a slender, perennial, deciduous, and woody twining plant used in various regions of Asia to treat a variety of ailments, including diabetes mellitus. Various in vitro studies revealed the therapeutic significance of A. precatorius against diabetes. However, the exact molecular mechanism remains unclarified. In the present study, a network pharmacology technique was employed to uncover the active ingredients, their potential targets, and signaling pathways in A. precatorius for the treatment of T2DM. In the framework of this study, we explored the active ingredient–target–pathway network and figured out that abrectorin, abrusin, abrisapogenol J, sophoradiol, cholanoic acid, precatorine, and cycloartenol decisively contributed to the development of T2DM by affecting AKT1, MAPK3, TNFalpha, and MAPK1 genes. Later, molecular docking was employed to validate the successful activity of the active compounds against potential targets. Lastly, we conclude that four highly active constituents, namely, abrusin, abrisapogenol J, precatorine, and cycloartenol, help in improving the body’s sensitivity to insulin and regulate the expression of AKT1, MAPK3, TNFalpha, and MAPK1, which may act as potential therapeutic targets of T2DM. Integrated network pharmacology and docking analysis revealed that A. precatorius exerted a promising preventive effect on T2DM by acting on diabetes-associated signaling pathways. This provides a basis to understand the mechanism of the anti-diabetes activity of A. precatorius.

Recent Advances in Diagnostic and Therapeutic Approaches for Breast Cancer: A Comprehensive Review.

Abstract: A silent monster breast cancer is a challenging medical task for researchers. Breast cancer is a leading cause of death in women related to other cancers. A case of breast cancer is diagnosed among women every 19 seconds, and every 74 seconds a women dies of breast cancer somewhere in the world. Several risk factors such as genetic and environmental factors favor breast cancer development. This review tends to provide deep understandings regarding the genetics of breast cancer along with multiple diagnostic and therapeutic approaches as problem-solving negotiators to switch off the progression of breast cancer. This assembled data mainly aims to discuss omics-based approaches to provide enthralling diagnostic biomarkers and emerging novel therapies to combat breast cancer. This review article intends to pave a new path for the discovery of effective treatment options.

Prospect of microbial food borne diseases in Pakistan: a review.

Abstract: Nowadays food borne illness is most common in people due to their epidemic nature. These diseases affect the human digestive system through bacteria, viruses and parasites. The agents of illness are transmitted in our body through various types of food items, water and uncooked. Pathogens show drastic changes in immunosuppressant people. This review gives general insights to harmful microbial life. Pakistan is a developed country and because of its improper food management, a lot of gastrointestinal problems are noted in many patients. Bacteria are most common agents to spread diarrhoea, villi infection, constipation and dysenteric disease in human and induce the rejection of organ transplant. Enhancement of their lifestyle, properly cooked food should be used and to overcome the outbreak of the diseases.

The Screening of Phytochemicals Against NS5 Polymerase to Treat Zika Virus Infection: Integrated Computational Based Approach

Abstract: Background The recent Zika virus (ZIKV) outbreak provides a spur for new, efficient, and safe anti-Zika Virus agents. RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) is critical amongst the seven non-structural proteins for viral replication and is considered an attractive drug target. Methods In this study, a molecular docking approach was used to rationally screen the library of 5000 phytochemicals to find inhibitors against NS5 RdRp. LigX tool was used to analyze the 2D plots of receptor-ligand interactions. The top-ranked compounds were then subjected to in-silico pharmacokinetic study. Results The compounds, namely Polydatin, Dihydrogenistin, Liquiritin, Rhapontin, and Cichoriin, successfully bind inside the pocket of NS5 RdRp. Polydatin was the leading phytochemical that showed high docking score of -18.71 (kcal/mol) and bonding interaction at the active site of NS5 RdRp. They were subjected to analysis for drug-like properties that further reinforced their validation and showed that they could attach with the receptor more than SOFOSBUVIR control drugs. MD simulation of the top two complexes was performed, and the simulated complexes showed stability, and ligands were kept within the bonding pocket. Conclusion The study might facilitate the development of a natural and cost-effective drug against ZIKV. Further validation, however, is necessary to confirm its drug effectiveness and its biocompatibility.

Network Pharmacology Approach for Medicinal Plants: Review and Assessment

Abstract: Natural products have played a critical role in medicine due to their ability to bind and modulate cellular targets involved in disease. Medicinal plants hold a variety of bioactive scaffolds for the treatment of multiple disorders. The less adverse effects, affordability, and easy accessibility highlight their potential in traditional remedies. Identifying pharmacological targets from active ingredients of medicinal plants has become a hot topic for biomedical research to generate innovative therapies. By developing an unprecedented opportunity for the systematic investigation of traditional medicines, network pharmacology is evolving as a systematic paradigm and becoming a frontier research field of drug discovery and development. The advancement of network pharmacology has opened up new avenues for understanding the complex bioactive components found in various medicinal plants. This study is attributed to a comprehensive summary of network pharmacology based on current research, highlighting various active ingredients, related techniques/tools/databases, and drug discovery and development applications. Moreover, this study would serve as a protocol for discovering novel compounds to explore the full range of biological potential of traditionally used plants. We have attempted to cover this vast topic in the review form. We hope it will serve as a significant pioneer for researchers working with medicinal plants by employing network pharmacology approaches.

Investigation of Antimicrobial and Cytotoxic Properties and Specification of Silver Nanoparticles (AgNPs) Derived From Cicer arietinum L. Green Leaf Extract

Abstract: Using biological materials to synthesize metallic nanoparticles has become a frequently preferred method by researchers. This synthesis method is both fast and inexpensive. In this study, an aqueous extract obtained from chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) (CA) leaves was used in order to synthesize silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). For specification of the synthesized AgNPs, UV-vis spectrophotometer, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electron dispersive X-ray (EDX), and zeta potential (ZP) analyses data were used. Biologically synthesized AgNPs demonstrated a maximum surface plasmon resonance of 417.47 nm after 3 h. With the powder XRD model, the mean crystallite dimension of nanoparticles was determined as 12.17 mm with a cubic structure. According to the TEM results, the dimensions of the obtained silver nanoparticles were found to be 6.11–9.66 nm. The ZP of the electric charge on the surface of AgNPs was measured as −19.6 mV. The inhibition effect of AgNPs on food pathogen strains and yeast was determined with the minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) method. AgNPs demonstrated highly effective inhibition at low concentrations especially against the growth of B. subtilis (0.0625) and S. aureus (0.125) strains. The cytotoxic effects of silver nanoparticles on cancerous cell lines (CaCo-2, U118, Sk-ov-3) and healthy cell lines (HDF) were revealed. Despite the increase of AgNPs used against cancerous and healthy cell lines, no significant decrease in the percentage of viability was detected.

Screening, identification, and application of nucleic acid aptamers applied in food safety biosensing

Abstract: Nucleic acid aptamers, defined as small functional nucleic acids that can selectively bind to a specific target, have become one of the main bio-recognition elements in biosensing. Aptamers can selectively bind to specific targets, such as proteins, peptides, small organic molecules as well as metal ions in food samples. Aptamer-based bioassays are promising alternatives to traditional methods offering a rapid and reliable biosensing technique to detect harmful substances in food products. These functional single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) or RNA molecules are initially identified and then selected by the SELEX (systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment) based on some rounds to screen the aptamer strands binding to the selected target. Next, a post-SELEX protocol is implemented to obtain the intended properties for practical applications. Numerous aptamers are being screened against key analytes in the food safety branch to develop a variety of biosensing techniques in this day and age. This revision enlarges upon recent advances in SELEX and post-SELEX methods for aptamers in the food safety arena. It focuses on their applications in detecting pesticides, veterinary drugs, biotoxins, allergens, foodborne pathogens, and other hazardous substances in food products. Last but not least, different techniques with aptamers are presented as highly effective methods for target detection. • Aptamers can selectively bind to specific targets including many analytes in foods. • Aptamer-based bioassays are promising alternatives to traditional methods. • Aptasensors offer a rapid and reliable biosensing technique. • They are selected by SELEX (systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment). • Next, a post-SELEX protocol is implemented to obtain intended properties in practical use.

Integrating Network Pharmacology and Molecular Docking Approaches to Decipher the Multi-Target Pharmacological Mechanism of Abrus precatorius L. Acting on Diabetes

Abstract: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a notable health care load that imposes a serious impact on the quality of life of patients. The small amount of reported data and multiple spectra of pathophysiological mechanisms of T2DM make it a challenging task and serious economic burden in health care management. Abrus precatorius L. is a slender, perennial, deciduous, and woody twining plant used in various regions of Asia to treat a variety of ailments, including diabetes mellitus. Various in vitro studies revealed the therapeutic significance of A. precatorius against diabetes. However, the exact molecular mechanism remains unclarified. In the present study, a network pharmacology technique was employed to uncover the active ingredients, their potential targets, and signaling pathways in A. precatorius for the treatment of T2DM. In the framework of this study, we explored the active ingredient–target–pathway network and figured out that abrectorin, abrusin, abrisapogenol J, sophoradiol, cholanoic acid, precatorine, and cycloartenol decisively contributed to the development of T2DM by affecting AKT1, MAPK3, TNFalpha, and MAPK1 genes. Later, molecular docking was employed to validate the successful activity of the active compounds against potential targets. Lastly, we conclude that four highly active constituents, namely, abrusin, abrisapogenol J, precatorine, and cycloartenol, help in improving the body’s sensitivity to insulin and regulate the expression of AKT1, MAPK3, TNFalpha, and MAPK1, which may act as potential therapeutic targets of T2DM. Integrated network pharmacology and docking analysis revealed that A. precatorius exerted a promising preventive effect on T2DM by acting on diabetes-associated signaling pathways. This provides a basis to understand the mechanism of the anti-diabetes activity of A. precatorius.