Redox, Enzyme and Alkaline Triple Stimuli-Responsive Polymer Nanoparticles as 'Trojan Horse' for Targeted Pesticide Delivery

Understanding the biological environment is essential for designing materials for drug delivery. Inspired by the digestion process of insects, we designed and synthesized a redox, enzyme and alkaline triple stimuli-responsive amphiphilic block copolymer for pesticide targeted release. This polymer can be self-assembled into nanoparticles to encapsulate the drug in aqueous solution. Avermectin was selected as a model drug to demonstrate the potential of the polymer as a pesticide controlled-release system. The results showed that the polymer nanoparticles loaded with avermectin were stable without stimulus, while the cumulative release rate of nanoparticles increased gradually after treatment of stimulus. The bioactivity experiments confirmed that the avermectin-loaded polymer nanoparticles retained the toxicity for insecticidal effect. In view of its superior insecticidal activity, excellent biodegradability and biocompatibility, this targeted pesticide release system holds promising potentials in pest management.