Bombyx mori cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus (BmCPV) is a serious disease harmful to silk industry, which is one of the major sources of financial support for farmers in many developing countries. So far, there is still no good way to prevent or treat this disease. In this study, titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) were used to pretreat silkworm larvae, and good results were achieved in improving silkworm immunity and alleviating the damage of cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus. The results showed that nano-titanium dioxide pretreatment could inhibit the proliferation of BmCPV in the midgut of silkworm, activate JAK/STAT and PI3K-AKT immune signaling pathways, and upregulate the expression of key immune genes, so as to improve the immunity of silkworm and enhance the resistance of silkworm to BmCPV.
Keywords: Bombyx mori cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus; Resistance-related genes; Silkworm; Titanium dioxide nanoparticles.