Small Interference RNA Encapsulated in Liposomes: An Effective Strategy for In vitro Inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 Load

João Pedro Viana Rodrigues; Vanessa Pinheiro Gonçalves; Francisco Dantas Lourenço; Ronaldo Bragança Martins; Felipe Rocha do Nascimento; Eurico Arruda; Larissa Deadame de Figueiredo Nicolete; Roberto Nicolete

doi:10.2174/0126667975279621240124115409

ISSN: 2666-7967
E-ISSN: 2666-7975

Small Interference RNA Encapsulated in Liposomes: An Effective Strategy for In vitro Inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 Load
Authors: João Pedro Viana Rodrigues^1,2, Vanessa Pinheiro Gonçalves^2,3, Francisco Dantas Lourenço^2,4, Ronaldo Bragança Martins⁵, Felipe Rocha do Nascimento⁵, Eurico Arruda⁵, Larissa Deadame de Figueiredo Nicolete⁴ and Roberto Nicolete^1,2,3
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Affiliations: ¹ Postgraduate Program in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil ; ² Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Fiocruz, Fiocruz Ceará, Eusébio, Ceará, Brazil; ³ Postgraduate Program in Biotechnology, Northeast Network in Biotechnology (RENORBIO), State University of Ceará (UECE), Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil ; ⁴ Faculty of Pharmacy, Health Sciences Institute, University of International Integration of the Afro-Brazilian Lusophony (UNILAB), Redenção, Ceará, Brazil; ⁵ Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology and Pathogenic Bioagents and Centro de Pesquisa em Virologia, Ribeirão Preto Medicine Faculty, São Paulo University, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
Source: Coronaviruses, Volume 6, Issue 1, Feb 2025, E010224226639
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2174/0126667975279621240124115409
- Received: 02 Oct 2023
- Accepted: 03 Jan 2024
- Available online: 01 Feb 2024

Abstract

Background

The pressing need for effective SARS-CoV-2 antiviral medicines has driven research into innovative therapeutic techniques. RNA interference with small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) has shown promise as an antiviral treatment.

Objective

We evaluated the effectiveness of lipid-based nanoparticles as a viable delivery platform for siRNA-based approach against SARS-CoV-2 in vitro infection.

Methods

Liposomes were fabricated by microfluidics to incorporate SARS-CoV-2-specific siRNAs based on conserved sections of the Spike protein coding sequence. Nanoparticle tracking analysis was used to evaluate the nanoparticles' physicochemical features. Calu-3 and Vero cell lines infected with SARS-CoV-2 were used to test the efficiency of siRNA-loaded liposomes. RT-PCR was used to determine the viral load by quantifying the SARS-CoV-2 genome.

Results

The results showed that liposomes efficiently decreased viral load in infected cells with good physicochemical features, such as a mean particle size of about 180 nm, zeta potential of +2.5 mV and encapsulation efficiency (53.6%).

Conclusion

These findings imply that lipid-based nanoparticles might be a targeted delivery strategy for siRNA-based approaches.

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/content/journals/covid/10.2174/0126667975279621240124115409

Small Interference RNA Encapsulated in Liposomes: An Effective Strategy for In vitro Inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 Load

Coronaviruses 6, E010224226639 (2025); https://doi.org/10.2174/0126667975279621240124115409

/content/journals/covid/10.2174/0126667975279621240124115409

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Article Type: Research Article

Keyword(s): cell membrane; liposomes; microfluidics; SARS-CoV-2; siRNA; viral load inhibition

Small Interference RNA Encapsulated in Liposomes: An Effective Strategy for In vitro Inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 Load

Abstract

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