Barietin, a snake venom vascular endothelial growth factor from puff adder Bitis arietans venom, increases the heart rate with minor effect on blood pressure in rats

  Barietin, a snake venom vascular endothelial growth factor from puff adder Bitis arietans venom, increases the heart rate with minor effect on blood pressure in rats ABSTRACT Snake venom vascular endothelial growth factors (svVEGFs) are homodimeric proteins comprising two equal subunits bound by two intermolecular disulfide bonds. The main biological effects of svVEGFs are local vasodilatation, increasing of vascular permeability, and hypotension. Barietin, a svVEGF purified from the venom of puff adder Bitis arietans , differs from other representatives of this toxin family by its shortened C-terminal amino acid sequence. No data about barietin effects on hemodynamics are available. Studying those in rats we found that barietin at a dose of 1 mg/kg significantly increased heart rate, exerting only a minor influence on blood pressure. In this respect, it differs from other svVEGFs having a significant effect on blood pressure. We aimed to find the barietin active fragment which m...

A new Masteria (Araneae: Dipluridae) from tropical hothouses in Denmark

 


A new Masteria (Araneae: Dipluridae) from tropical hothouses in Denmark

Abstract 

A newly discovered species of Masteria L. Koch, 1873 collected at two Danish tropical hothouses, Masteria boggildisp. n., is described. It is the first member of Dipluridae (curtain-web spiders) known to have established breeding populations in Europe. The new species belong to a subgroup of Masteria species characterized by six eyes, piriform bulb, and short, unevenly sized inner and outer spermathecal lobes. Masteria boggildisp. n. appears most closely related to Neotropical species, particularly to species found in Ecuador. Possible paths to its introduction are suggested.


LISSNER,J. & CRAIG,S.B.B. (2023) A new Masteria (Araneae: Dipluridae) from tropical hothouses in Denmark Arachnology 19 (6): 888–893