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

Abstract

Background Trunk-boring pests (TBPs) are an important type of forest pest, TBPs not only feed on the branches and trunks of trees, but also spread quarantine diseases in forests. However, because the larvae of TBPs live inside the trunk and are well concealed, prevention and control are difficult. The lack of effective control methods leads to the death of many trees in forests. In this study, a novel nanopesticide featuring high bioactivity and slow-release properties was developed to control TBPs. Thiacloprid (THI), which is commonly used to control Coleoptera species, was used as a model pesticide. Results The oleophobic properties of bovine serum albumin (BSA) were exploited to encapsulate the hydrophobic pesticide THI by self-assembly, and the size of the obtained nanoparticles, THI@BSA·NPs, was approximately 23 nm. The loading efficiency reached 70.4%, and THI@BSA·NPs could be released continuously for over 15 days, with the cumulative release reaching 93.5%. The fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-labeled nanoparticles were evenly distributed in the digestive tract and body surface of a typical TBPs, M. alternatus, and the stomach and contact toxicities increased by 33.7% and 25.9%, respectively, compared with those of free THI. Furthermore, the results showed that the transport efficiency of THI@BSA·NPs was highest at a concentration of 50 μg/mL, and the THI@BSA·NPs content in the trunk, from to lower to higher layers, was 8.8, 8.2, 7.6, and 5.8 μg/g. At the same time, THI@BSA·NPs also exhibited high transport efficiency in dead trees. Conclusion The transport efficiency and toxicity of the active ingredients are the key factors for the control of TBPs. This work provided idea for the application of biological delivery system encapsulated hydrophobic pesticides. The novel self-assembled THI@BSA·NPs have promising potential for sustainable control of TBPs.

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

“…In order to study the pesticide loading capacity of CuBTC, a saturated solution of AM/methanol was prepared, 20 mg CuBTC powder was dispersed in different volumes of AM solution, and stirred at 300 rpm for 48 h. After that, the supernatant was collected at 14,000 rpm for 20 min to measure the content of free AM using a UV spectrophotometer at a detection wavelength of 245 nm. The loading efficiency was calculated according to the following formula [ 36 ]. …”

“…The contact toxicity and stomach toxicity of AM@CuBTC were determined by the pesticide membrane contact method and the feed mixing pesticide method [ 36 , 37 ]. Firstly, the dispersed AM@CuBTC solution was placed in a petri dish, and the filter paper was slowly spread into it to make it completely soaked, then the filter paper was turned upside down to the top, and the well-developed larva after starving for 24 h were placed on the filter paper to observe the pesticide intake of the larvae’s abdomen.…”

Slow Released Nano-pesticide Platform Based on Metal Organic Framework for Delivery Avermectin, Cytotoxicity and Insecticidal Propertiesslow Released Nano-pesticide Platform Based on Metal Organic Framework for Delivery Avermectin, Cytotoxicity and Insecticidal Propertiesslow Released Nano-pesticide Platform Based on Metal Organic Framework for Delivery Avermectin, Cytotoxicity and Insecticidal Properties

“…5B) remained basically unchanged at different temperatures, which indicated that AVM@CuBTC could be stable within a certain temperature range. As introduced in the previous article, the half-life of AVM was short, the characteristic structure of the conjugated double bond and the 16-membered ring macrolide structure made it easy to degrade under light [42]. Therefore, the retention of AVM after treatment was measured to clarify the protective effect of AVM@CuBTC (Fig.…”

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

“…Additionally, hollow porous silica nanospheres (BHSNs) with a bowl-like structure were added to the model pesticide imidacloprid, which can aid to create the pesticide’s prolonged release through an adsorption and retention mechanism between the pesticide and the carrier [ 127 , 128 ]. Su et al created novel nano-pesticides with high biological activity and slow-release properties that can control the trunk borers by self-assembling the hydrophobic pesticide thicloline (THI) inside of the oleophobic feature of BSA [ 129 ]. According to studies, carbon nanomaterials (CNMs) can be employed as a vehicle for nanoscale sustained-release insecticides [ 130 ].…”