Positively charged mesoporous silica nanocarriers loaded with arbidol: A novel effective nano antiviral system against nervous necrosis virus

Viral nervous necrosis (VNN) caused by nervous necrosis virus (NNV) poses a significant threat to the global aquaculture industry, leading to substantial economic losses. In this study, we evaluated the anti-NNV activity of arbidol both in vitro and in vivo. Treatment with arbidol at a concentration of 10.48 mu M effectively inhibited NNV-induced cytopathic effects in GF-1 cells, and the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of arbidol against NNV was determined to be 7.915 mu M. To improve drug delivery to the central nervous system, the primary site of NNV infection, we developed positively charged mesoporous silica nanocarriers (CMSNs) loaded with arbidol (CMSNs-ARB). Compared to unmodified mesoporous silica nanocarriers, CMSNs exhibited significantly higher uptake in GF-1 cells and zebrafish brains, indicating their potential to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and deliver drugs more efficiently. In vivo experiments revealed that arbidol administration improved the survival rate of juvenile fish infected with NNV. Additionally, the use of CMSNs as a drug carrier further enhanced the larval survival rate by 13 % compared to the arbidol-only treatment group. These results demonstrate the potent anti-NNV activity of arbidol and highlight the potential of CMSNs as an effective drug delivery system to control fish viral diseases in aquaculture.