Self-assembled bovine serum albumin nanoparticles as pesticide delivery vectors for controlling trunk-boring pests

Establishment of a rapid and sensitive ic-ELISA for the detection of thiacloprid residues in honey and medicinal herbs using a novel highly specific monoclonal antibody

Thiacloprid is one of the first generation of neonicotinoid insecticide with a chloropyridine structure like imidacloprid and acetamiprid. Recent studies have revealed its environmental and non-target organism toxicity, leading to restrictions on its use in many countries and regions. Despite limitations, thiacloprid has been detected in various environmental samples, food sources, and biological specimens, posing a significant threat to human health, necessitating advanced detection methods for monitoring. In this study, a highly specific monoclonal antibody against thiacloprid via a multi-immunogen strategy was prepared and a rapid and sensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the detection of thiacloprid residues in honey and medicinal herbs was established. The half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of this method was 0.38 ng/mL, improving the sensitivity by 1.2-480.6 times compared to existing reports, and the limit of detection (IC20) was 0.097 ng/mL. The method was successfully applied to the determination of thiacloprid residues in honey and medicinal herbs (Crataegi fructus, Citri reticulatae pericarpium), achieving recovery rates ranging from 87.50 % to 116.11 %. The obtained results were verified using the LC-MS/MS method. The multi-immunogen strategy proposed in this study provides an approach for the preparation of highly sensitive and specific monoclonal antibodies, and immunoassay established based on it has good application prospects in complex matrices.

β-Cyclodextrin-optimized supramolecular nanovesicles enhance the droplet/foliage interface interactions and inhibition of succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) for efficient treatment of fungal diseases

BACKGROUND

Plant fungal diseases present a major challenge to global agricultural production. Despite extensive efforts to develop fungicides, particularly succinate dehydrogenase inhibitors (SDHIs), their effectiveness is often limited by poor retention of fungicide droplets on hydrophobic leaves. The off-target losses and unintended release cause fungal resistance and severe environmental pollution.

RESULTS

To update the structure of existing SDHIs and synchronously realize the efficient utilization, we have employed a sophisticated supramolecular strategy to optimize a structurally novel SDH inhibitor (AoH25), creating an innovative supramolecular SDH fungicide (AoH25@β-CD), driven by the host-guest recognition principle between AoH25 and β-cyclodextrin (β-CD). Intriguingly, AoH25@β-CD self-assembles into biocompatible supramolecular nanovesicles, which reinforce the droplet/foliage (liquid-solid) interface interaction and the effective wetting and retention on leaf surfaces, setting the foundation for enhancing fungicide utilization. Mechanistic studies revealed that AoH25@β-CD exhibited significantly higher inhibition of SDH (IC50 = 1.56 µM) compared to fluopyram (IC50 = 244.41 µM) and AoH25 alone (IC50 = 2.29 µM). Additionally, AoH25@β-CD increased the permeability of cell membranes in Botryosphaeria dothidea, facilitating better penetration of active ingredients into pathogenic cells. Further experimental outcomes confirmed that AoH25@β-CD was 88.5% effective against kiwifruit soft rot at a low-dose of 100 µg mL-1, outperforming commercial fungicides such as fluopyram (52.4%) and azoxystrobin (65.4%). Moreover, AoH25@β-CD showed broad-spectrum bioactivity against oilseed rape sclerotinia, achieving an efficacy of 87.2%, outstripping those of fluopyram (48.7%) and azoxystrobin (76.7%).

CONCLUSION

This innovative approach addresses key challenges related to fungicide deposition and resistance, improving the bioavailability of agricultural chemicals. The findings highlight AoH25@β-CD as a novel supramolecular SDH inhibitor, demonstrating its potential as an efficient and sustainable solution for plant disease management.

Emerging trends to replace pesticides with nanomaterials: Recent experiences and future perspectives for ecofriendly environment

Despite the widespread usage to safeguard crops and manage pests, pesticides have detrimental effects on the environment and human health. The necessity to find sustainable agricultural techniques and meet the growing demand for food production has spurred the quest for pesticide substitutes other than traditional ones. The unique qualities of nanotechnology, including its high surface area-to-volume ratio, controlled release, and better stability, have made it a promising choice for pest management. Over the past ten years, there has been a noticeable growth in the usage of nanomaterials for pest management; however, concerns about their possible effects on the environment and human health have also surfaced. The purpose of this review paper is to give a broad overview of the worldwide trends and environmental effects of using nanomaterials in place of pesticides. The various types of nanomaterials, their characteristics, and their possible application in crop protection are covered. The limits of the current regulatory frameworks for nanomaterials in agriculture are further highlighted in this review. Additionally, it describes how standard testing procedures must be followed to assess the effects of nanomaterials on the environment and human health before their commercialization. In order to establish sustainable and secure nanotechnology-based pest control techniques, the review concludes by highlighting the significance of taking into account the possible hazards and benefits of nanomaterials for pest management and the necessity of an integrated approach. It also emphasizes the importance of more investigation into the behavior and environmental fate of nanomaterials to guarantee their safe and efficient application in agriculture.

"One-Pot" Method Preparation of Dendritic Mesoporous Silica-Loaded Matrine Nanopesticide for Noninvasive Administration Control of Monochamus alternatus: The Vector Insect of Bursapherenchus xylophophilus

Monochamus alternatus is an important stem-boring pest in forestry. However, the complex living environment of Monochamus alternatus creates a natural barrier to chemical control, resulting in a very limited control effect by traditional insecticidal pesticides. In this study, a stable pesticide dendritic mesoporous silica-loaded matrine nanopesticide (MAT@DMSNs) was designed by encapsulating the plant-derived pesticide matrine (MAT) in dendritic mesoporous silica nanoparticles (DMSNs). The results showed that MAT@DMSNs, sustainable nanobiopesticides with high drug loading capacity (80%) were successfully constructed. The release efficiency of DMSNs at alkaline pH was slightly higher than that at acidic pH, and the cumulative release rate of MAT was about 60% within 25 days. In addition, the study on the toxicity mechanism of MAT@DMSNs showed MAT@DMSNs were more effective than MAT and MAT (0.3% aqueous solutions) in touch and stomach toxicity, which might be closely related to their good dispersibility and permeability. Furthermore, MAT@DMSNs are also involved in water transport in trees, which can further transport the plant-derived insecticides to the target site and improve its insecticidal effect. Meanwhile, in addition, the use of essential oil bark penetrants in combination with MAT@DMSNs effectively avoids the physical damage to pines caused by traditional trunk injections and the development of new pests and diseases induced by the traditional trunk injection method, which provides a new idea for the application of biopesticides in the control of stem-boring pests in forestry.

Smart Protein-Based Fluorescent Nanoparticles Prepared by a Continuous Nanoprecipitation Method for Pesticides' Precise Delivery and Tracing

It is highly desirable to develop smart and green pesticide nanoformulations for improving pesticide targeting and reducing their inherent toxicity. Herein, we demonstrate a continuous nanoprecipitation method to construct a novel type of enzyme-responsive fluorescent nanopesticides (denoted as ABM@BSA-FITC/GA NPs) based on abamectin, fluorescein isothiocyanate isomer (FITC)-modified protein, and food-grade gum arabic. The as-prepared ABM@BSA-FITC/GA NPs exhibit good water dispersibility, excellent storage stability, and enhanced wettability compared to commercial formulations. The controlled release of pesticides can be achieved through protein degradation caused by trypsin. Most importantly, the deposition, distribution, and transport of the ABM@BSA-FITC/GA NPs are precisely tracked on target plants (cabbage and cucumber) by fluorescence. Furthermore, the ABM@BSA-FITC/GA NPs show the high control efficacy against Plutella xylostella L., which is comparable with commercial emulsifiable concentrate formulation. In consideration of its eco-friendly composition and absence of organic solvent, this pesticide nanoformulation has promising potential in sustainable plant protection.

Delivery of Methoprene-Tolerant dsRNA to Improve RNAi Efficiency by Modified Liposomes for Pest Control

The application of RNA interference (RNAi) technology for pest control is environmentally friendly and accurate. However, the efficiency of RNAi is often inconsistent and unreliable, and finding a suitable carrier element is considered critical to success in overcoming biotic and abiotic barriers to reach the target site. The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (FAW), which is one of most important global agricultural pests, has recently spread rapidly to other parts of the world. In this study, a method to improve the stability and RNAi efficiency of the dsRNA carrier complex was reported. Methoprene-tolerant gene (Met) was selected as a target, a gene which is critical to the growth and development of FAW. Biomaterials nanoliposomes (LNPs) were modified with polyethylenimine (PEI) to deliver the dsRNA of Met. The synthesized Met3@PEI@LNPs reached a size of 385 nm and were found to load dsRNA effectively. Through stability and protection assays, it was found that LNPs provided reliable protection. In addition, the release curve also demonstrated that LNPs were able to prevent premature release under alkaline condition of the insect midgut but accelerate the release after entering the acidic environment of the target cells. The cell transfection efficiency of the prepared LNPs reached 96.4%. Toxicity tests showed that the use of LNPs could significantly improve the interference efficiency, with 91.7% interference efficiency achieved when the concentration of dsRNA in LNPs was only 25% of that of the control. Successful interference of Met demonstrated it could significantly shorten the larval period and make the larvae pupate earlier, thus achieving the purpose of control. In this study, we have demonstrated the use of nanotechnology to provide a novel RNAi delivery method for pest control.

Enhanced and sustained pesticidal activity of a graphene-based pesticide delivery system against the diamondback moth Plutella xylostella

BACKGROUND

Traditional abamectin (Abm) formulations have several shortcomings, such as low water solubility, burst release behavior, poor photostability, and short persistence periods, which decrease their pesticidal activity and the risks they pose to the environment. Nanomaterial-based pesticide delivery systems (PDSs) provide new strategies for the efficient and safe application of pesticides. Here, we developed Abm-loaded graphene oxide (Abm/GO) as a PDS for the sustained release of Abm, which shows enhanced control efficacy against Plutella xylostella.

RESULTS

The hydrophobic Abm molecule was effectively loaded on GO nanocarrier by a physisorption method, which formed a uniform and stable Abm/GO nanoformulation. GO possesses high adsorption capacity and can effectively load Abm. The Abm/GO nanoformulation shows enhanced water dispersion stability and can remain stable during a 2-year storage period in contrast to the water-insoluble Abm. In addition, the Abm/GO nanoformulation exhibits sustained pesticide release behavior and possesses significantly improved anti-ultraviolet properties. Thus, the Abm/GO nanoformulation shows superior pesticidal activity compared with Abm. Abm/GO showed negligible toxicity to maize seedlings, and its GO nanocarrier can reduce the cytotoxicity of Abm to A549 cells.

CONCLUSION

GO-based PDSs can effectively overcome the disadvantages of traditional pesticides, such as their insolubility, burst release behavior, instability, and short persistence period. GO shows much future promise in agriculture in light of its industrialization potential. © 2022 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Engineered Nanomaterials for Improving the Nutritional Quality of Agricultural Products: A Review

To ensure food safety, the current agricultural development has put forward requirements for improving nutritional quality and reducing the harmful accumulation of agricultural chemicals. Nano-enabled sustainable agriculture and food security have been increasingly explored as a new research frontier. Nano-fertilizers show the potential to be more efficient than traditional fertilizers, reducing the amount used while ensuring plant uptake, supplying the inorganic nutrients needed by plants, and improving the process by which plants produce organic nutrients. Other agricultural uses of nanotechnology affect crop productivity and nutrient quality in addition to nano-fertilizers. This article will review the research progress of using nanomaterials to improve nutritional quality in recent years and point out the focus of future research.

Synthesis and physicochemical characterization of rhamnolipid fabricated fucoxanthin loaded bovine serum albumin nanoparticles supported by simulation studies

BACKGROUND

Fucoxanthin is a hydrophobic carotenoid with many beneficial biological activities. However, due to low aqueous solubility their clinical efficacy is limited thus leading to poor oral bioavailability. To address this issue, we encapsulated fucoxanthin in rhamnolipid fabricated bovine serum albumin (BSA) loaded nanoparticles (LNPs) for improving solubility dependent bioavailability of fucoxanthin.

RESULTS

These synthesized LNPs were characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS), ultraviolet (UV)-visible spectrophotometry, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Our results showed that LNPs were spherical in shape with particle size around 180 nm along with positive zeta potential. The encapsulation efficiency and loading efficiency calculated for LNPs were 69.66 ± 1.5% and 14 ± 0.2%, respectively. The antioxidant assay of LNPs indicate high radical scavenging activity compared to pure fucoxanthin. Besides this, our release studies indicates that drug release occur from the matrix of nanocarrier system through diffusion based on concentration. Thus, these findings indicate successful encapsulation of fucoxanthin, with improved solubility thereby leading to increased bioavailability. This nano formulation is derived from components which are FDA approved that could be exploited for encapsulating other vital nutraceutical molecules.

CONCLUSION

Overall, our results showed successful synthesis of biodegradable nanocarrier for delivering fucoxanthin supported by molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulation and thermodynamics of free binding energy studies. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Physicochemical Study of Albumin Nanoparticles with Chlorambucil

Currently, nanotechnology is considered a promising strategy to enhance drug solubility and other physicochemical properties. Albumin is a biopolymer that can be used in drug delivery systems due to its biodegradability and biocompatibility. The aim of this study was to prepare and characterize albumin nanoparticles with chlorambucil as a controlled drug delivery system. Different concentrations of chlorambucil were incubated with bovine serum albumin (BSA) in order to prepare nanoparticles using the desolvation method. As a result, nanoparticles in sizes ranging from 199.6 to 382.6 nm exhibiting high encapsulation efficiency of chlorambucil were obtained. A spectroscopic study revealed concentration-dependent changes in secondary structure of the albumin chain and in the hydrophobicity of chlorambucil. Based on the results obtained, it was concluded that the investigated structures may be used in the development of a drug delivery system.

Design and Preparation of Avermectin Nanopesticide for Control and Prevention of Pine Wilt Disease

Pine wilt disease is a devastating forest disaster caused by Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, which has brought inestimable economic losses to the world's forestry due to lack of effective prevention and control measures. In this paper, a porous structure CuBTC was designed to deliver avermectin (AM) and a control vector insect Japanese pine sawyer (JPS) of B. xylophilus, which can improve the biocompatibility, anti-photolysis and delivery efficacy of AM. The results illustrated the cumulative release of pH-dependent AM@CuBTC was up to 12 days (91.9%), and also effectively avoided photodegradation (pH 9.0, 120 h, retention 69.4%). From the traceable monitoring experiment, the AM@CuBTC easily penetrated the body wall of the JPS larvae and was transmitted to tissue cells though contact and diffusion. Furthermore, AM@CuBTC can effectively enhance the cytotoxicity and utilization of AM, which provides valuable research value for the application of typical plant-derived nerve agents in the prevention and control of forestry pests. AM@CuBTC as an environmentally friendly nanopesticide can efficiently deliver AM to the larval intestines where it is absorbed by the larvae. AM@CuBTC can be transmitted to the epidemic wood and dead wood at a low concentration (10 mg/L).

Therapeutic effect of indirubin-loaded bovine serum albumin nanoparticules on ulcerative colitis

Indirubin is considered to have promising potential in the treatment of ulcerative colitis (UC). However, poor aqueous solubility and low bioavailability limit its clinical application. We produced indirubin-loaded bovine serum albumin nanoparticles (INPs) and characterized their drug encapsulation efficiency, drug-loading capacity, capacity to release indirubin in vitro and short-term physical stability. We also investigated the pharmacokinetics of INPs in mice. We then compared the curative effects of INPs and indirubin against dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis in mice and 3D cultured biopsies from patients with UC. In the mouse model, the outcomes of INP treatment, including the disease activity index and serous levels of interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-10, were significantly different from those of indirubin treatment. Similarly, when we administered INPs and indirubin to the ex vivo colonic tissues of patients with UC, the effect of INPs was stronger than that of indirubin for most antioxidant and anti-inflammatory biomarkers. The results of both the animal trial and ex vivo experiment indicate that the therapeutic effect of indirubin was further enhanced by the carrier system, making it a highly promising medical candidate for UC.

Green Strategies of Powdery Mildew Control in Hop: From Organic Products to Nanoscale Carriers

Humulus lupulus L. is a long-lived, perennial, herbaceous, and dioecious climbing plant. The foremost producers in the European Union are Germany, the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovenia, and Spain. The Spanish cultivated area is concentrated in the province of León. Powdery mildew, caused by Podosphaera macularis, menaces hop production and quality in all hop growing regions located in the Northern hemisphere, colonizing leaves, petioles, inflorescences, and finally cones. In this work, powdery mildew control was monitored, comparing nine fungicide strategies: five organics, two integrated disease management (IDM)-based, with and without Nutragreen^® nanoscale carrier, and two conventional treatments (CON) with and without Nutragreen^® nanoscale carrier. The organic treatments were able to diminish P. macularis on leaves, but no effect was observed in cones. CON treatments reduced the infection on leaves and cones and increased the cone quantity and quality. Likewise, IDM-based treatments provided satisfactory results as they diminished powdery mildew on leaves and cones. Finally, dose reduction using a Nutragreen^® nanoscale carrier showed beneficial effects in the control of powdery mildew compared to the commercial dose. Hence, the use of nanoscale carries permits a 30% reduction in pesticide dose, which optimizes yield and hop quality, reduces risks linked to pesticides, and aids in compliance with public and international policy demands.

Spectroscopic Analysis of the Binding of Paraquat and Diquat Herbicides to Biosubstrates

The study of the interaction of persistent organic pollutants with biosubstrates helps to unravel the pathways for toxicity, however, few mechanistic data are present in the literature for these systems. We analyzed the binding of paraquat (PQ) and diquat (DQ) herbicides to natural calf thymus DNA and a DNA G-quadruplex by spectrophotometric titrations, ethidium bromide exchange tests, viscometry, and melting experiments. The interaction with bovine serum albumin (BSA) protein was studied spectrofluorimetrically at different temperatures. The retention of the targets on positive, negative, and neutral micellar aggregates and liposomes was analyzed by ultrafiltration experiments. Despite some favorable features, PQ and DQ only externally bind natural DNA and do not interact with DNA oligonucleotides. Both herbicides bind bovine serum albumin (BSA). PQ binds BSA mainly according to an electrostatics-driven process. However, ultrafiltration data also show that some hydrophobic contribution participates in the features of these systems. The practical problems related to unfavorable spectroscopic signals and inner filter effects are also discussed. Overall, both herbicides show a low affinity for nucleic acids and weak penetration into liposomes; in addition, the equilibrium constants values found for BSA system suggest optimal conditions for transport in the body.