Advances in nanocarriers to improve the stability of dsRNA in the environment

Abstract

RNAi technology, known as a revolutionary technology in the history of pesticides, has been identified as a very promising novel approach for crop protection, which is of great significance for achieving the sustainable agricultural development of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. Although many studies have shown that RNA biopesticides have strong application prospects, its stability seriously restricts the commercial use. As the core component of RNAi, double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) is unstable in its natural form. Therefore, how to ensure the stability of dsRNA is one of the most significant challenges in realizing the commercial use of RNA biopesticides. Nanomaterials such as cationic polymers and lipofectamine can improve the stability of dsRNA in the environment, which has been proved. This paper reviews the recent research progress of nanomaterials that can be used to improve the environmental stability of dsRNA, and discusses the advantages and limitations of different nanomaterials combined with dsRNA, which provides reference for the selection of dsRNA nanoformulations.

Delta and jagged are candidate target genes of RNAi biopesticides for the control of Nilaparvata lugens

“…Due to the high accuracy of RNAi treatment compounds, high degradability, and environmental friendliness, RNA biopesticides are considered "the third revolution in the history of agriculture" (Li et al, 2022;Yang et al, 2022), and RNAi biopesticide is a promising novel approach in the control of BPH. In the present study, two key ligand genes (dl and jag) of the Notch signaling pathway were selected and were systematically evaluated regarding their potential as targets for RNAi biopesticides.…”

Current Scenario of Exogenously Induced RNAi for Lepidopteran Agricultural Pest Control: From dsRNA Design to Topical Application

“…Although the PTD-DRBD complex made the dsRNA more stable and efficient in the presence of nucleases in the A. grandis gut [115], the dsRNA was harder to synthesize. An alternative is using branched amphiphilic peptide capsules (BAPCs), which are more easily synthesized than PTD, to protect dsRNAs [116]. These nano capsules are made of natural amino acids, and are water soluble and resistant to detergents, proteases and chaotropic agents.…”

“…Lipofectamine ® 2000 (Reagent Catalog number: 11668030, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Life Sciences Solutions, 5781 Van Allen Way, Carlsbad, CA, USA 92008, Invitrogen) is a transfection reagent able to inhibit nuclease activity and characterized by the presence of cations at the phospholipid bilayer. These characteristics allow lipofectamine to overcome the repulsion relation between cell membranes and nucleic acids, becoming a good candidate to be added to dsRNA formulations [116]. When used to treat the brown stink bug (Euschistus heros; Hemiptera), lipofectamine was able to increase the mortality of secondinstar nymphs by 15% after 14 days of artificial feeding, in comparison with the naked dsRNA molecules, which caused 33% mortality [118].…”

Current Scenario of Exogenously Induced RNAi for Lepidopteran Agricultural Pest Control: From dsRNA Design to Topical Application

“…Although the PTD-DRBD complex, turned the dsRNA more stable and efficient in the presence of nucleases in the A. grandis gut [113], it is harder to be synthesized. An alternative is using branched amphiphilic peptide capsules (BAPCs) that are more easily synthesized than PTD to protect dsRNAs [114]. These nano capsules are made of natural amino acids, water soluble, resistant to detergents, proteases, and chaotropic agents.…”

“…Lipofectamine 2000 (Invitrogen) is a transfection reagent, able to inhibit the nuclease activity, and characterized by the presence of cations at the phospholipid bilayer. These characteristics allow Lipofectamine to overcome the repulsion relation between cell membranes and nucleic acids, becoming a good candidate to be added to dsRNA formulations [114]. When used to treat Euschistus heros, lipofectamine was able to increase the mortality the second-instar nymphs by 15% after 14 days of artificial feeding, in comparison with the naked dsRNA molecules that caused 33% of mortality [116].…”