In Memoriam: Giraldo Alayón García

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  In Memoriam: Giraldo Alayón García -  Photo © Facebook/National Museum of Natural History of Cuba In Memoriam: Giraldo Alayón García The arachnological community mourns the loss of Giraldo Alayón García, a Cuban zoologist whose work helped bring the spiders of Cuba and the wider Caribbean into clearer scientific view. As a researcher and curator at Cuba’s National Museum of Natural History, Dr. Alayón devoted decades to studying arachnids. His publications on spider taxonomy, evolution, and biogeography gave other researchers a stronger foundation for understanding the region’s biodiversity. He also shared that knowledge through teaching and scientific exchange far beyond Cuba. For those of us who care about taxonomy, his legacy is a reminder of the patient work behind every species description: examining specimens, recording differences, and preserving knowledge that others can build upon. His contributions will continue to guide the study of Caribbean spiders for years to ...

Assessing the anticancer potential of spider venom peptide Latarcin Ltc2a against triple negative breast cancer

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Assessing the anticancer potential of spider venom peptide Latarcin Ltc2a against triple negative breast cancer

Abstract

Cancer remains one of the most formidable challenges to human health, necessitating constant exploration of innovative therapeutic strategies. Among the myriad potential candidates, peptides from venom have emerged as potent sources of bioactive molecules possessing diverse pharmacological properties. In this study, we repurposed a spider venom-derived antimicrobial peptide, Ltc2a, into a selective anticancer agent, bridging microbial defense with cancer therapeutics. Our findings reveal that Ltc2a exhibits selective cytotoxicity towards cancer cells compared to normal cells at just 2 μM of the peptide concentration. Ltc2a induced rapid cytotoxicity within 1 h in breast cancer cells and it was accompanied by membrane disruption as shown by propidium iodide (PI) positive staining and visible damage to cancer cell membranes under field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). In vivo studies using a zebrafish model indicated favorable uptake and a lack of acute toxicity, depicting 80 % survival rate up to 4 μM of tested peptide concentration. Interestingly, the truncated variants of Ltc2a retained their alpha helical structure and demonstrated preferential uptake in MDA-MB-231 cells over HEK293T cells. These findings highlight the therapeutic potential of Ltc2a as selective anticancer peptide with minimal toxicity, paving the way for further preclinical development.
Kaur, P., Roy, S., Minocha, S., & Chugh, A. (2025). Assessing the anticancer potential of spider venom peptide Latarcin Ltc2a against triple negative breast cancer. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Biomembranes, 1867(7), 184442.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbamem.2025.184442