The Effect of Silver Nanoparticles on Some Objects from the “Plants” and “Fungi” Kingdoms

Abstract

In this chapter we give a brief account of the results obtained in studies of the toxic effects for aqueous solutions of AOT-stabilized silver nanoparticles in experiments with plasmodium of the lower fungus, unicellular alga and plant seeds. In all experiments, the effects of aqueous nanoparticle solutions were compared with those of aqueous solutions containing AOT in the same concentrations as in the nanoparticle solutions and the effects of Ag+ ions, which were added in the form of aqueous solutions of silver nitrate. Thus it was possible, first, to isolate the biological effect of silver nanoparticles from the total effect of nanoparticles and AOT and, second, to determine whether the nanoparticle effect is due to the silver ions released by the nanoparticles, a question important for elucidating the mechanism of nanoparticles action.