{
  "abstract": "The rapid emergence of AMR necessitates the development of novel, sustainable therapeutic agents. This study reports the green synthesis of copper-decorated zinc oxide (CuO-ZnO) nanocomposite using an aqueous leaf extract of Peganum harmala L., which served as a reducing and capping agent. A quantitative EDX analysis confirmed a high loading of Cu of 24.25% (7.09%) mass. Characterization showed that the average primary particle size was 29 ± 1.3 nm, and that the structures were crystalline and hexagonal, known as wurtzite. The nanocomposite exhibited a positive zeta potential of + 47.2 ± 4.24 mV, indicating good colloidal stability. A typical absorption peak at 372 nm was observed using UV-visible spectroscopy. The CuO-ZnO nanocomposite showed significant dose-dependent antibacterial activity with Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations (MIC) of 50 µg/mL, 70 µg/mL, and 80 µg/mL for Staphylococcus epidermidis, Salmonella typhi, and Klebsiella pneumoniae, respectively. The synthesized CuO-ZnO nanocomposite exhibited significant antifungal activity, inhibiting the linear growth of Aspergillus flavus and Fusarium oxysporum by 87.67 mm and 74.33 mm, respectively. While computational models suggest localized structural integration, the system is described as a copper-decorated zinc oxide network, pending high-resolution phase-state verification. This integrated study highlights the potential of P. harmala-mediated CuO-ZnO nanocomposite as an eco-friendly antimicrobial agent for biomedical applications.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Zoology, University of Mianwali, Mianwali, 32100, Punjab, Pakistan.",
    "Department of Biotechnology, University of Mianwali, Mianwali, 32100, Punjab, Pakistan.",
    "International Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Sciences, The University of Lahore, Lahore,, Punjab, Pakistan.",
    "Department of Botany, Islamia College Peshawar, Peshawar, 25120, Pakistan.",
    "Department of Botany, University of Chakwal, Chakwal, 48800, Punjab, Pakistan.",
    "Department of Chemistry, Bacha Khan University, Charsadda, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.",
    "Department of Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmacy, Dicle University, Diyarbakır, 21200, Turkey.",
    "Department of Botany, University of Buner, Sowari, Buner, 19290, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.",
    "Department of Biology, College of Natural and Computational Sciences, Mizan-Tepi University, Tepi, Ethiopia. dawitk.galo@gmail.com.",
    "Department of Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.",
    "Special Infectious Agents Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 80216, Jeddah, 21589, Saudi Arabia.",
    "Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Science, King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 21911, Rabigh 344, Saudi Arabia."
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 13,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Hansa Gul"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Fatima Zara"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Zahida Nasreen"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Haris Ahmed Khan"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Nasir Assad",
      "orcid": "0009-0004-9435-1414"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3,
        4
      ],
      "name": "Muhammad Nauman Khan",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-3790-0902"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Shah Khalid"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        5
      ],
      "name": "Muhammad Adnan"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        6
      ],
      "name": "Alevcan Kaplan"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        7
      ],
      "name": "Akhtar Zaman"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        8
      ],
      "name": "Dawit Kifle"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        9
      ],
      "name": "Abdulrahman A Sindi"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        10,
        11
      ],
      "name": "Ahmed M Tolah"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/fbk2hg3vaj3qh.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1186/s11671-026-04984-x",
  "fulltext_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13719942",
  "id": "fbk2hg3vaj3qh",
  "issns": [
    "2731-9229"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42955491",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Research"
    ],
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      "openalex",
      "2505|Nanoparticles: synthesis and applications"
    ]
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  "openalex": "W7224667619",
  "pdf_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13719942?pdf=render",
  "pmcid": "PMC13719942",
  "pmid": "42955491",
  "published": "2026-10-28",
  "publisher": "Springer",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/fbk2hg3vaj3qh.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-01T00:20:36Z",
      "native_id": "MED:42955491",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42955491"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-02T12:23:49Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13719942",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1186/s11671-026-04984-x"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "chemistry",
      "origin": "openalex:2505|Nanoparticles: synthesis and applications",
      "subfield": "materials-polymers"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Computational and experimental study of CuO-ZnO nanocomposite using the plant Peganum harmala L. and their antifungal, antibacterial applications.",
  "title_text": "Computational and experimental study of CuO-ZnO nanocomposite using the plant Peganum harmala L. and their antifungal, antibacterial applications.",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-03T12:20:55Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/fbk2hg3vaj3qh",
  "venue": "Discover nano",
  "versions": []
}