Liposome-based RNAi delivery in honeybee for inhibiting parasite .

, a parasite that parasitizes and reproduces in the gut of honeybees, has become a serious threat to the global apiculture industry. RNA interference (RNAi) technology can be used to inhibit growth by targeting silencing the thioredoxin reductase (TrxR) in . However, suitable carriers are one of the reasons limiting the application of RNAi due to the easy degradation of dsRNA in honeybees. As a vesicle composed of a lipid bilayer, liposomes are a good carrier for nucleic acid delivery, but studies in honeybees are lacking. In this study, liposomes were used for double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) dsTrxR delivery triggering RNAi to inhibit the growth in honeybees. Compared to naked dsTrxR, liposome-dsTrxR reduced numbers in the midgut and partially restored midgut morphology without affecting bee survival and gut microbial composition. The results of this study confirmed that liposomes could effectively protect dsRNA from entering the honeybee gut and provide a reference for using RNAi technology to suppress honeybee pests and diseases.