Banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO: ARMÉLIO VASCONCELOS DE SIQUEIRA NETO

USE OF SILVER NANOPARTICLES ASSOCIATED WITH LOW POWER THERAPEUTIC LASER TO EVALUATE THE REGENERATION OF BONE FRACTURES IN RATS

Bone consolidation, AgNP, low-power therapeutic laser, analysis, tissue repair

Bone tissue, when injured as in fractures, is capable of regenerating. Under normal circumstances, fractures do not present healing difficulties; however, under certain conditions, the consolidation process can be stimulated to promote a reduction in the bone tissue repair time and to ensure the return of musculoskeletal function. Physical interventions, such as low-level laser therapy (LLLT), are a means to enhance this regenerative action through their photochemical and photobiological activities. Similarly, the use of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) has expanded in research due to their antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antifungal, antiseptic, antiviral, and anticancer properties. The use of stingless bee honey has similar biological effects and, when associated with nanotechnology, may develop benefits for fractured bone areas. The research aims to evaluate the effect of low-level laser therapy and AgNPs obtained from stingless bee honey on the bone consolidation of femur fractures in rats, based on biomechanical and histological analysis. This is an experimental study with a quantitative and analytical approach. A total of 60 male rats of the Rattus norvegicus albinus species, Wistar strain, will be used in the study. The samples will come from the Bioterium of the State University of Pará (UEPA), campus XII, in the city of Santarém, PA, Brazil. The rats will be randomly divided into 6 groups (n=10), subsequently divided into 2 subgroups with 5 rats each, totaling 12 subgroups of five animals: 10 experimental subgroups and 2 control subgroups. After the induced fracture in the right femur, the samples will receive combined and isolated treatments, at intervals, of LLLT, AgNPs, and stingless bee honey. The materials will be analyzed, and the results will be statistically demonstrated in graphs and tables. The project will follow the guidelines of the Ethics Commission on the Use of Animals (CEUA), and will be in accordance with the ethical principles in animal experimentation, adopted by the National Council for the Control of Animal Experimentation (CONCEA).