AaTs-1, a Tetrapeptide from Scorpion Venom Mitigates Demyelination and Neuroinflammation in a Cuprizone-Induced Model of Multiple Sclerosis

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  AaTs-1, a Tetrapeptide from Scorpion Venom Mitigates Demyelination and Neuroinflammation in a Cuprizone-Induced Model of Multiple Sclerosis Abstract Purpose This study focuses on the evaluation of the therapeutic potential of Tetrascorpin-1 (AaTs-1), a tetrapeptide isolated from Androctonus australis hector venom, proposed as a putative formyl peptide receptor 2 (FPR2) antagonist, in a cuprizone-induced murine model of Multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic autoimmune and inflammatory disease of the central nervous system. Methods Acute demyelination was induced in mice by administering cuprizone (0.2% w/w in the diet) for six weeks. During the sixth week of cuprizone intake, demyelinated mice received intranasal administration of AaTs-1 at a dose of 50–100 µg/kg for five consecutive days, with 24-hour intervals between treatments. Results Behavioral assessments, immunological assays, and histological analyses revealed that AaTs-1 improved body weight, reduced behavioral impairments...

Three more cases of tergite malformation in two buthid scorpion species revealed from citizen science data (Scorpiones: Buthidae)

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Three more cases of tergite malformation in two buthid scorpion species revealed from citizen science data (Scorpiones: Buthidae)

Abstract 
Three cases of tergite malformation are described: two in Parabuthus raudus (Simon, 1888) from Botswana and one in Lychas sp. from Australia. One adult female P. raudus had tergite IV almost split into two parts, an anomaly that also affected tergites II–III. In another female P. raudus, a longitudinal depression presented across tergites I–IV. In Lychas sp., tergites I–II are strongly constricted transversely, exposing the adjacent pleural membrane dorsally.

Sherwood, Danniella & Tang, Victoria. (2025). Three more cases of tergite malformation in two buthid scorpion species revealed from citizen science data (Scorpiones: Buthidae). Revista Ibérica de Aracnología. 46. 135-137.