Plant-Derived Cinnamaldehyde Liposomes as Dual Responsive Nanocarriers Enhance Antibacterial Activity and Pesticide Biosafety

The development of stimulus-responsive nanopesticide carriers has practical significance for improving drug utilization efficiency and reducing side effects. Herein, pH and glutathione-responsive cinnamaldehyde dimer liposome (CDC-d) is facilely fabricated via a one-step process. Carvacrol (CAR) or tebuconazole (TEB) is embedded into the liposome to obtain drug-loading nanoparticle using a simple antisolvent precipitation method. The morphology, antifungal properties, and biosafety of drug-loading nanoparticles are investigated in detail. CDC-d, CDC-d/TEB, and CDC-d/CAR present spherical particles with sizes ranging from 100 to 300 nm. The loading contents of CAR and TEB are 30.2 and 25.6%, respectively. The cumulative release rates of TEB and CAR reaches 100% and 85% after 30 min in a solution with pH of 5. The values are 40% and 60% in a 20 mM GSH solution after 30 min. The drug-loaded nanoparticles exhibit an effective antifungal activity against Fusarium oxysporum. They also show excellent wettability, adhesion, and rain erosion resistance on wheat leaves. Furthermore, this system has good biological safety for nontarget organisms. The cinnamaldehyde liposomes are expected to be outstanding pesticide delivery vesicles to use for the prevention and control of various crop diseases and pests.