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

  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...

A survey of the spider genus Lipocrea Thorell, 1878 (Araneae, Araneidae) from Guiyang City, Southwest China: An integrated morphological and molecular approach


A survey of the spider genus Lipocrea Thorell, 1878 (Araneae, Araneidae) from Guiyang City, Southwest China: An integrated morphological and molecular approach

Abstract

A survey was undertaken to study the spider genus Lipocrea Thorell, 1878, from Guiyang City, Guizhou Province, southwest China. A total of two species is here addressed based on morphology and five methods of molecular species delimitation, comprising L. guiyang J. Zhang, Yu & Mi, sp. nov. and L. fusiformis (Thorell, 1877), the type species of the genus as well as a new record for mainland China. These two species are distributed in Huaxi District and Kaiyang County of Guiyang, respectively, providing the first formal record of this genus from mainland China.

Zhang J, Zhang C, Xing Y, Yu H, Mi X (2025) A survey of the spider genus Lipocrea Thorell, 1878 (Araneae, Araneidae) from Guiyang City, Southwest China: An integrated morphological and molecular approach. ZooKeys 1255: 207-237. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1255.158340