Production of nano-bentonite and the study of its effect on mutagenesis in bacteria Salmonella typhimurium

Abstract

The production of nano-bentonite and its effects on mutation process in the strains of Salmonella typhimurium are studied. It is revealed that nano-bentonite particles essentially differ from bentonite particles in structure, size, and shape. Bentonite particles are cone-shaped and 0.3 to 1.0 μm in size, whereas nanobentonite nanoparticles are oval-shaped and 25 to 95 μm in size. Single particles (less than 10.0%) are irregular polyhedra and 0.6 μm in size. The structure of bentonite consists of separate fragments of constituent minerals composed of packages–lamelee 0.6 μm in size cemented with an amorphous mass. An amorphous mass containing single micrometer-sized packages–lamelee is observed in the structure of the nano-bentonite. It is determined that nano-bentonite does not possess mutagenic activity on microorganisms. The study of antimutagenic potential of nano-bentonite reveals that it possesses a moderate inhibitory effect on mutagenesis caused by mitomycin C, 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine, and ethyl methanesulphonate, but does not inhibit genotoxic potential of hydrogen peroxide. The results demonstrate that nano-bentonite is nongenotoxic and can be used for the development of next-generation safe nanotechnological materials.