DNA
self-assembled nanostructures have been considered as effective
vehicles for biomolecule delivery because of their excellent biocompatibility,
cellular permeability, noncytotoxicity, and small size. Here, we report
an efficient antiviral strategy with self-assembled tetrahedral framework
nucleic acids (tFNAs) delivering small interfering RNA (t-siRNA) to
silence classical swine fever virus (CSFV) gene in porcine host cells.
In this study, two previously reported siRNAs, C3 and C6, specifically
targeting the CSFV genome were selected and modified on tFNAs, respectively,
and termed t-C3 and t-C6. Results indicate that t-C3 and t-C6 can
inhibit the viral proliferation of CSFV in kidney derived porcine
cells, PK-15, effectively and that inhibition was markedly stronger
than free siRNA-C3 or siRNA-C6 only. In addition, the DNA nanostructure
also has high cargo-carrying capacity, allowing to deliver multiple
functional groups. To improve the antiviral ability of tFNAs, a dual-targeting
DNA nanostructure t-C3–C6 was constructed and used to silence
the CSFV gene in porcine host cells. This study found that t-C3–C6
can inhibit the viral release and replication, exhibiting outstanding
anti-CSFV capabilities. Therefore, these dual-targeting tFNAs have
great potential in virus therapy. This strategy not only provides
a novel method to inhibit CSFV replication in porcine cells but also
verifies that tFNAs are effective tools for delivery of antiviral
elements, which have great application potential.