Targeted Drug Delivery for Sustainable Crop Protection: Transport and Stability of Polymeric Nanocarriers in Plants

• Published in: Advanced science Vol. 8; no. 11
• Main Authors: Beckers, Sebastian J., Staal, Alexander H. J., Rosenauer, Christine, Srinivas, Mangala, Landfester, Katharina, Wurm, Frederik R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Weinheim John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.06.2021; John Wiley and Sons Inc; Wiley
• Subjects: agrochemical; Carbohydrates; Chromatography; drug delivery; Drug delivery systems; Lignin; miniemulsion; nanocarriers; Nanoparticles; Pesticides; plant protection; Scientific imaging
• ISSN: 2198-3844; 2198-3844
• DOI: 10.1002/advs.202100067

Spraying of agrochemicals (pesticides, fertilizers) causes environmental pollution on a million‐ton scale. A sustainable alternative is target‐specific, on‐demand drug delivery by polymeric nanocarriers. Trunk injections of aqueous nanocarrier dispersions can overcome the biological size barriers of roots and leaves and allow distributing the nanocarriers through the plant. To date, the fate of polymeric nanocarriers inside a plant is widely unknown. Here, the in planta conditions in grapevine plants are simulated and the colloidal stability of a systematic series of nanocarriers composed of polystyrene (well‐defined model) and biodegradable lignin and polylactic‐co‐glycolic acid by a combination of different techniques is studied. Despite the adsorption of carbohydrates and other biomolecules onto the nanocarriers’ surface, they remain colloidally stable after incubation in biological fluids (wood sap), suggesting a potential transport via the xylem. The transport is tracked by fluorine‐ and ruthenium‐labeled nanocarriers inside of grapevines by 19F‐magnetic resonance imaging or induced coupled plasma – optical emission spectroscopy. Both methods show that the nanocarriers are transported inside of the plant and proved to be powerful tools to localize nanomaterials in plants. This study provides essential information to design nanocarriers for agrochemical delivery in plants to sustainable crop protection. Nanocarrier‐mediated release of agrochemicals in planta is a promising approach to treat plant diseases and to reduce spraying of chemicals. This paper investigates the transport of a diverse library of polymeric nanocarriers in vitro and in planta rendering drug delivery in plants with nanocarriers a promising tool for future agriculture.