New data on Wangaraneus Mi, Wang & Li, 2024 (Araneae, Araneidae), with descriptions of two new species from Xizang, China

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  New data on Wangaraneus Mi, Wang & Li, 2024 (Araneae, Araneidae), with descriptions of two new species from Xizang, China Abstract New data on Wangaraneus Mi, Wang & Li, 2024 are provided based on morphological examination and mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I ( COI ) sequencing. Two new species from Xizang, China, W. delicatus Mi & Wang, sp. nov . and Wangaraneus fencha Mi & Wang, sp. nov ., are described and illustrated based on both sexes. In addition, two new combinations are proposed and established: W. cruciformis (Yin, Peng & Wang, 1994), comb. nov ., transferred from Singa C.L. Koch, 1836, and W. quadrituberculatus (Roy, Sen, Saha & Raychaudhuri, 2014), comb. nov ., transferred from Chorizopes O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1871. Wangaraneus zioni (Mi, Li & Pham, 2023), syn. nov . is synonymized with W. cruciformis . The newly described species are diagnosed based on detailed comparisons of somatic morphology and copulatory org...

Yellow scorpion (Buthus sinidicus) venom peptides induce mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis in cervical, prostate and brain tumor cell lines

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Yellow scorpion (Buthus sinidicus) venom peptides induce mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis in cervical, prostate and brain tumor cell lines


Abstract

Scorpion venoms are known to contain over 100,000 biologically active constituents. However, only a few of them have been studied. The major constituents of venom are proteins and peptides, which exhibit various biological and pharmacological properties, including anticancer activities. In the current study, the venom of yellow scorpions (Buthus sindicus) found in Sindh, Pakistan, was extracted and evaluated for its anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory activities. The crude venom showed a dose dependent inhibition of phagocyte oxidative burst from human whole blood cells (28.3% inhibition at highest tested concentration of 300 μg/mL). In-vitro cytotoxicity of crude venom was evaluated against human prostrate (PC3), cervical (HeLa) and neuroblastoma (U87-MG) cell lines, along with cytotoxicity against normal human fibroblast (BJ) cells. Crude venom was cytotoxic to all cell lines, with prominent inhibitory effect on PC3 cells. Crude venom was fractionated through RP-UPLC, resulted in fifteen fractions, followed by evaluation of their anticancer potential. Among all, the fraction I significantly (P < 0.001) reduced the cell viability of all three cancer cell lines, and exhibited insignificant cytotoxicity against normal cell line. Furthermore, the apoptotic cell death pathway was evaluated for crude venom, and fraction I, in most sensitive cell line PC3, by using flow-cytometry analysis. Both crude venom and its fraction I caused a mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis in prostate cancer cells (PC3). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of the anticancer and anti-inflammatory activity of venom of Pakistani yellow scorpions. Results indicate their therapeutic potential, and a case for further purification and validation studies.

Hassan, H., Mirza, M. R., Jabeen, A., Alam, M., Kori, J. A., Sultan, R., & Choudhary, M. I. (2024). Yellow scorpion (Buthus sinidicus) venom peptides induce mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis in cervical, prostate and brain tumor cell lines. PLOS ONE, 19(2), e0296636. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0296636