Silver nanoparticles (AgNP) toxicity study over embryo stages of sea urchin Echinometra lucunter

Abstract

The nanotechnology has been generating several nanomaterials. Silver nanoparticle (AgNP) has a bactericidal action and has been being widely produced and commercialized, incorporated into several materials. It is possible to biogenically and synthetically synthetize AgNP, generating products with different physic-chemical properties. AgNP can reach the environment in different ways, being introduced on the soil and water bodies, mostly as a result of human activities, being able to hit and harm non-target organisms. Despite the production growth and commercialization, their ecotoxicological effects in aquatic environments are barely known. The purpose of this study is to assess and compare the ecotoxicological effects of synthetics and biogenical AgNP and the salt form of silver over embryo stages of sea urchin Echinometra lucunter. To do that, E. lucunter adults will be collected in rocky shores and acclimated in a laboratory, where the spawning and in vitro fecundation will be done. The newly fecundated will be exposed, under controlled conditions, to different concentrations of AgNP and silver salt, between 0.01%, 0.1%, 1% and 10%, during 36 hours, using four replicas per treatment. The content of each replica will be fixed with formaldehyde, and after we will observe the development success of the embryolarval organisms, with the aid of a microscope. The data will be analyzed by a variance analysis followed by a Dunnet test, to verify the differences among the control group, and will be calculated the concentrations of effect from 10% to 50% of the embyos (CL10 and CL50, respectively) by linear interpolation, to ascertain the samples cronic toxicity.