A new species of the mygalomorph spider genus Euagrus Ausserer (Araneae: Euagridae) from central Mexico and new records of E. gus Coyle from Tlaxcala

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  A new species of the mygalomorph spider genus Euagrus Ausserer (Araneae: Euagridae) from central Mexico and new records of E. gus Coyle from Tlaxcala Abstract  A new species of the spider genus Euagrus Ausserer, 1875 from temperate pine-oak forests in the states of Tlaxcala and Hidalgo, Mexico is described: E. pulque sp. nov. The description of the new species is based on male and female adult specimens. Additionally, Euagrus gus Coyle, 1988 is recorded for the very first time in the state of Tlaxcala. These species have sympatric distributions in La Malinche National Park, Tlaxcala. With this description, the diversity of the genus increases to 23 species, with Mexico harboring the highest diversity with 17 described species.  Valdez-Mondragón, A., Salinas-Velasco, H. V. & Bueno-Villegas, J. (2026). A new species of the mygalomorph spider genus Euagrus Ausserer (Araneae: Euagridae) from central Mexico and new records of E. gus Coyle from Tlaxcala. Zootaxa 5810 (...

Photobiomodulation Activated TGF-β1 Has Discrete Roles in Modulating Macrophage Responses to Bothrops jararacussu Venom

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Photo 64655231, (c) Juliano Marques, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Juliano Marques, https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/64655231

Photobiomodulation Activated TGF-β1 Has Discrete Roles in Modulating Macrophage Responses to Bothrops jararacussu Venom

ABSTRACT

Bothrops jararacussu (BjsuV) snake bites cause severe local and systemic effects that are counteracted with antivenom that is ineffective in preventing damage to muscle tissue and amputations. Photobiomodulation (PBM) has emerged as a promising adjunct anti-inflammatory therapy. This study investigated whether PBM can modulate macrophage functions via TGF-β1 following exposure to BjsuV. Cell survival, migration, and phagocytosis of macrophages were evaluated after treatments with BjsuV, TGF-β1, a TGF-β inhibitor—SB431542, and PBM (660 nm red or 810 nm near-infrared laser at 10 mW/cm2, 400 and 500 s, 4 J/cm2, and 5 J/cm2, 7.5 pJ/cm2, 1.7ɇ). BjsuV-reduced macrophage survival and migration but increased phagocytosis that was significantly counteracted by PBM treatments. These observations suggest the anti-inflammatory effects of PBM in macrophages contribute to its therapeutic potential in mitigating venom-induced multiple signaling pathways. These mechanistic insights could improve the rigor and reproducibility of future clinical PBM anti-inflammatory treatments.

David, A. C., Amin, M., Varsani, R., Tang, M. Z., Kalshetti, D., Silva Junior, J. A., Zamuner, S. R., & Arany, P. (2026). Photobiomodulation Activated TGF-β1 Has Discrete Roles in Modulating Macrophage Responses to Bothrops jararacussu Venom. Journal of Biophotonics, 19(2), e70238. https://doi.org/10.1002/jbio.70238