Hidden diversity in plain sight: four new species of Nemesia (Araneae: Mygalomorphae) from the Córdoba Province of Spain

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  Hidden diversity in plain sight: four new species of Nemesia (Araneae: Mygalomorphae) from the Córdoba Province of Spain Abstract A taxonomic revision of the species of Nemesia Audouin, 1826, distributed in the vicinity of Córdoba City, southern Spain, is presented. Four new species are described: Nemesia morana sp. nov. (female), N. kodama sp. nov. (male and female), N. rosae sp. nov. (male and female), and N. tamajoni sp. nov. (male and female). These species are distinguished by distinct morphological characters, including the shape of the spermathecae, palpal bulbs, and spinnerets, as well as by burrow architecture. Fieldwork was conducted across two of the three major habitat types in the region—the humid, forested mountains of Sierra Morena and the croplands and riparian forests of the Guadalquivir Valley—while the third, the “campiña”, which is mainly composed of agricultural landscapes, remains poorly explored. Sampling methods included pitfall trapping and the direct e...

Targeting with toxins: an overview of venom peptides in drug delivery

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Targeting with toxins: an overview of venom peptides in drug delivery

Abstract

Due to the numerous issues associated with many current drug therapies, including lack of efficiency and off-target toxicity, targeted drug delivery has become a critical area of pharmaceutical research. Natural compounds show great promise for active drug targeting, since many of them possess distinct activity towards biomolecules in human body. That includes peptide toxins derived from venoms of various animals, which have often been tailored by evolution to target biomolecules in living systems with high potency and specificity.
In this review, we discuss the current research on the use of venom peptides for specific tissue targeting, in order to deliver therapeutic or diagnostic agents. Various delivery systems, predominantly nanoparticles and bioconjugates, have been developed using either natural, or modified venom peptides. Among these, chlorotoxin, a scorpion-derived toxin, and exendin-4, from lizard venom, have shown particular promise in targeted delivery. While many of these delivery systems have been designed for cancer or nervous system targeting, other conditions have also been approached. Besides therapeutic drug delivery, numerous targeted imaging agents have been developed and investigated for precise visualization of specific conditions.
Mazurs, A., Mauriņa, B., Bandere, D., & Logviss, K. (2025). Targeting with toxins: An overview of venom peptides in drug delivery. International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 126193. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpharm.2025.126193