The chromosome-level genome of Mesobuthus martensii provides insights into its evolution and the diversity of venom peptides

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  The chromosome-level genome of Mesobuthus martensii provides insights into its evolution and the diversity of venom peptides Abstract Mesobuthus martensii , the source species of the traditional Chinese medicine “Quanxie”, has long been utilized for its therapeutic properties. Venom peptides are recognized as the major active molecular basis of these pharmacological activities. Despite this, their development as therapeutic agents remains poorly explored. In this study, we performed an integrated multi-omics investigation to systematically explore the venom peptides of Mesobuthus martensii . We generated a chromosome-level genome assembly of Mesobuthus martensii using third-generation sequencing technologies, yielding a genome size of 1.08 Gb with a contig N50 of 46.46 Mb. Integrated genomic and transcriptomic analyses led to the identification of 51 putative novel venom peptide candidates. From the broader venom peptide set, five lysine- and arginine-rich candidates were select...

Scorpion (Buthus martensii Karsch) in Chinese medicine: a review of traditional uses, chemical constituents, pharmacology, and toxicology

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Scorpion (Buthus martensii Karsch) in Chinese medicine: a review of traditional uses, chemical constituents, pharmacology, and toxicology

The processed Buthus martensii Karsch scorpions, commonly called Quanxie or Scorpio, have been a valuable traditional medicine for over a millennium, with documented use dating back to 935-960 AD. Traditionally employed in treating rheumatism, epilepsy, stroke, and chronic pain, Scorpio contains diverse chemical constituents, including venom, steroid derivatives, alkaloids, amino acids, and nucleosides. Modern pharmacological studies have identified active components, particularly venom and proteins, that exhibit analgesic, antitumor, antiepileptic, and antithrombotic properties. However, these same active ingredients can also induce neurotoxicity and autonomic dysfunction, with overdose leading to such adverse effects. Consequently, numerous processing methods have emerged to mitigate toxicity while preserving pharmacological activity. Despite these advances, key research gaps persist: modern studies overly rely on isolated venom components (with insufficient attention to multi-constituent interactions in processed whole scorpions), high-quality clinical trials are lacking in the functional research on active ingredients, and the mechanisms underlying processing-induced detoxification remain unclear.

Liu, M., Zhu, J., Lu, Q., Qu, Z., Zhou, Q., Zhang, L., Dai, Y., & Shi, D. (2025). Scorpion (Buthus martensii Karsch) in Chinese medicine: A review of traditional uses, chemical constituents, pharmacology, and toxicology. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 16, 1702650. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2025.1702650