Potential use of gold and silver nanoparticles in phycobiotehnology

Abstract

Biomass content was calculated spectrophotometrically from the calibration curve. Spectrophotometric determination of lipid content was based on the reaction between lipid oxidation products with the components of phospho-vanillin reagent to produce a rose-colored complex. The results revealed nanoparticle concentrations that increased biomass production and induced lipid synthesis and their accumulation in spirulina biomass. The concentration of 0.045±0.001 μM AuNP(PEG) was established, which enhanced cyanobacterial biomass by 40-44% and lipid content in biomass by 28-33%. Silver nanoparticles at a concentration of 0.0320±0.0011 μM stimulated spirulina productivity by 30-35%. In the resulting biomass, lipid content increased by 21-25%. This was due to the action of Ag nanoparticles and their small size (5 nm), which allowed them to quickly penetrate cells and stimulate cell proliferation. The contact of nanoparticles with the cell membrane induced the stimulation of lipid production.