## 3 Results and Discussion
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c} \hline \hline  & **Pathogenicity** & **LT50** & **Biomass Production** & **Synthesis of AgNPs** \\ \hline Pathogenicity & 1 & \(-0.218\) & 0.428 & \(-0.087\) \\ LT50 & & 1 & 0.450 & \(-0.504\) * \\ Biomass Production & & 1 & \(-0.864\) ** \\ Synthesis of AgNPs & & & & 1 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}  
* * Significant with \(p<0.01\). ** Significant with \(p<0.05\).  
\end{table} 
Table 4: Coefficients of [PERSON]’s correlation (r) between biological parameters (pathogenicity, LT50, and biomass production) and silver nanoparticle synthesis potential with entomopathogenic fungi extracts. Figure 3: Scanning electron microscopy of silver nanoparticles at 3700\(\times\) (a) and 50\(\times\) (b). insect. Besides, entomopathogenic fungi can secrete other enzymes, such as amylases, involved in processes such as growth and absorption of nutrients in culture medium, as well as catalases and cellulases, which promote cellular protection against stress, reduced formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) during fungus infection in the insect, and remedial action of toxic substances [32]. The formation of the silver nanoparticles in fungi-mediated biosynthesis occurs through the action of biomolecules produced by microorganisms, which promote an oxidation reaction of metal salts. However, there is no consensus as to which biomolecule is responsible for the synthesis process. It is believed that there may be variation in the enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of metallic nanoparticles depending on the species and/or fungus isolate used, making it difficult to understand the biological action in the development of these nanomaterials [33]. The presence of functional groups and amino acid residues referring to proteins in silver nanoparticles from biosynthesis mediated by _B. basiana_, _M. Anisopliae_, and _I. fumosorosea_ suggests the action of these compounds in the formation of nanoparticles [8; 14]. Moreover, suppression of enzymes from the oxidoreductase-tase group with the addition of potassium cyanide (KCN) to the extract of _Metarhizium robertsii_ during the synthesis of silver nanoparticles significantly reduced the potential for the formation of nanoparticles, suggesting that the biomolecule responsible for the formation of the nanoparticle by this species of fungus may be an enzyme belonging to this group; however, the presence of KCN, which is a strong oxidizing agent, may have caused ionization of the silver atoms and interfered with the formation of the nanoparticle. Thus, the results contained in the literature do not fully clarify the mechanism of the formation of AgNPs in the biosynthesis of these entomopathogenic fungi. Virulence (LT\({}_{50}\)) and the biomass production of the isolates showed a negative impact on the synthesis potential, suggesting that the biomolecules active in the process of the production of biomass, pathogenicity, and virulence of the studied fungi are not directly responsible for the formation of the silver nanoparticle. In our study, pathogenicity did not show any influence on the potential of entomopathogenic fungi isolates to synthesize silver nanoparticles; however, in a previous study, silver nanoparticles synthesized with aqueous extracts from fungi isolates with a high rate of pathogenicity on the target insect showed a more significant insecticidal effect [9], which can be caused by the presence of metabolites with insecticidal action in the reaction medium and their possible adhesion to the formed nanoparticle surface. Therefore, the existence of a significant correlation between the pathogenicity and potential for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles by our entomopathogenic fungi isolates was expected, but this was not observed. Thus, further evaluations are needed about the interaction of these parameters, which may serve to better understand the formation of nanoparticle by the action of the metabolites of these fungi.