Silver nanoparticles synthetized by combustion reaction and toxicity studies by changes in radicular growth of Allium cepa

Metallic nanoparticles (NPs) are nanostructures with a dimension between 10 and 100 nanometers (nm) that can be synthesized in laboratories through the association of reagent salts such as silver nitrate AgNO₃. The objectives of this project were to evaluate the toxicity of different concentrations of Silver Nanoparticles (AgNPs) synthesized through the combustion reaction technique, as well as the nanoformulation elaborated by associating these NPs with copaiba oil, of the species Copaiffera multijulga, and surfactant Tween 80 (Polysorbate 80). AgNPs compromised root growth with increasing concentrations, and nanoformulations prevented root development at all concentrations used in the tests. The microscopic evaluation of the epidermal cells of the roots, through the detection of alterations in the mitotic process and the knowledge of the components present in the used copaiba oil, will prove with more certainty the genotoxic effects caused by the samples under study. (author)