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

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  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...

First historical checklist of spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) from Morocco, between 1840–2024

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First historical checklist of spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) from Morocco, between 1840–2024

Abstract

The checklist of Spiders (Araneae) of Morocco is presented for the first time, based on about two centuries of arid research (between 1840 and 2024), including an extensisve bibliographic study. This updated list includes a total of 549 species belonging to 225 genera and 46 families. A bibliographic review, as complete as possible, was compiled which to date includes 172 references, providing a database available for the first time and accessible for any future research on Moroccan spiders. This work is also the first step towards a catalog and an Atlas of this group of arachnids, which is currently being compiled and is the first of its kind in Morocco and even North Africa.



Zootaxa
Issue: Vol. 5555 No. 3: 19 Dec. 2024
Type: Article
Published: 2024-12-19
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5555.3.5
Page range: 407-435