Comparative analysis of selenium nanoparticles and polyethyleneimine-functionalised carbon nanotubes for DNA delivery in arabidopsis thaliana

Official URL: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/aab.70047

Global warming continues to intensify agricultural challenges and elevate global food demand, rendering traditional plant breeding approaches increasingly inadequate. Advanced biotechnological interventions, particularly gene delivery technologies, offer promising alternatives; however, conventional gene transfer methods in plants often suffer from low efficiency and substantial limitations. This study investigates the potential of selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs)—commonly used in mammalian gene therapy—for gene delivery in plants, and compares their performance to polyethyleneimine-functionalised single-walled carbon nanotubes (PEI-SWNTs), a known gene delivery vector in plant systems. Chemically synthesised SeNPs (approximately 20 nm) and PEI-SWNTs were characterised and applied to Arabidopsis thaliana leaves and roots. Two DNA constructs encoding green fluorescent protein (GFP)—a plasmid vector (35S-eGFP-nosT) and a linear gene cassette—were used to evaluate nanoparticle-mediated gene delivery efficiency. Phytotoxicity was assessed through visible symptoms such as chlorosis and necrosis, while delivery success was measured via GFP fluorescence and gene expression analyses. SeNPs exhibited significantly lower phytotoxicity than PEI-SWNTs. In terms of gene delivery, SeNPs demonstrated higher efficiency in transporting linear DNA constructs, while PEI-SWNTs were more effective for plasmid DNA delivery. SeNPs show considerable promise as gene delivery vectors in plants, particularly for linear DNA, because of their reduced toxicity and effective uptake. These findings highlight the potential of SeNPs for broader applications in plant biotechnology, warranting further evaluation across different plant species and genetic cargos.