Liu Yangyang, Zhang Jianqin, Li Shuai, Chai Lin, Chang Babar Hussain, Malak Marian, El Wakil Abeer, Moussian Bernard, Zhao Zhangwu, Zeng Zhanghua, Zhu Kun Yan, Zhang Jianzhen
Shanxi Key Laboratory of Nucleic Acid Biopesticides, School of Synthetic Biology, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, China.
School of Life Science, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, China.
Pest Manag Sci. 2025 Sep;81(9):5260-5269. doi: 10.1002/ps.8880. Epub 2025 May 8.
RNA interference (RNAi) targeting the key genes involved in insect growth and development has been demonstrated as pollution-free green pest management strategies. Double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)-based biopesticides offer species-specific pest control and degrade rapidly in the environment, making them a safer alternative to conventional chemical pesticides. However, efficient delivery of dsRNA is a significant challenge in the application of RNAi technology for pest management.
Chitosan, a natural biopolymer, was selected to generate nanoparticles with dsRNA of LmCht10, which is responsible for chitin degradation, for delivery of dsLmCht10 in Locusta migratoria. Compared with the naked dsLmCht10, application of chitosan/dsLmCht10 nanoparticles enhanced the stability of dsRNA in the locust gut fluid in vitro. Feeding the locusts with chitosan/dsLmCht10 nanoparticles resulted in a 67% decrease of LmCht10 transcripts and a 2-fold increase in locust mortality. Injection of chitosan/dsLmCht10 into the locust body cavity substantially improved RNAi efficiency against LmCht10 by 96.6% associated with a 2-fold increase in locust mortality. In addition, the absorption of chitosan/dsLmCht10 nanoparticles by locust epidermal cells increased significantly and continuously by 7.3 to 8.3 times.
This study has demonstrated that chitosan-based dsRNA nanomaterials can significantly improve the stability of dsRNA in the midgut fluid, enhance RNAi efficiency, and increase insect mortality. Moreover, chitosan-based dsRNA delivery enhances silencing efficiency by increasing the uptake of dsRNA in the epidermal cells. Our results suggest that the use of chitosan nanomaterial for dsRNA delivery is a feasible strategy for advancing the application of RNAi technology in pest management. © 2025 Society of Chemical Industry.
靶向昆虫生长发育关键基因的RNA干扰（RNAi）已被证明是无污染的绿色害虫防治策略。基于双链RNA（dsRNA）的生物农药具有物种特异性害虫防治功能，且在环境中迅速降解，使其成为传统化学农药的更安全替代品。然而，dsRNA的有效递送是RNAi技术应用于害虫防治的一项重大挑战。
选择天然生物聚合物壳聚糖来制备携带参与几丁质降解的LmCht10的dsRNA的纳米颗粒，用于在飞蝗中递送dsLmCht10。与裸露的dsLmCht10相比，壳聚糖/dsLmCht10纳米颗粒的应用提高了dsRNA在体外蝗虫肠道液中的稳定性。用壳聚糖/dsLmCht10纳米颗粒喂养蝗虫导致LmCht10转录本减少67%，蝗虫死亡率增加2倍。将壳聚糖/dsLmCht10注射到蝗虫体腔中，与蝗虫死亡率增加2倍相关，对LmCht10的RNAi效率显著提高了96.6%。此外，蝗虫表皮细胞对壳聚糖/dsLmCht10纳米颗粒的吸收显著且持续增加了7.3至8.3倍。
本研究表明，基于壳聚糖的dsRNA纳米材料可显著提高dsRNA在中肠液中的稳定性，增强RNAi效率，并增加昆虫死亡率。此外，基于壳聚糖的dsRNA递送通过增加表皮细胞对dsRNA的摄取来提高沉默效率。我们的结果表明，使用壳聚糖纳米材料进行dsRNA递送是推进RNAi技术在害虫防治中应用的可行策略。© 2025化学工业协会。
