The underlying mechanism of scorpion venom peptide BmK AS in reducing epilepsy seizures: mediated through dual modulation of Nav1.6 and the inflammasome pathway

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  The underlying mechanism of scorpion venom peptide BmK AS in reducing epilepsy seizures: mediated through dual modulation of Nav1.6 and the inflammasome pathway Abstract Introduction:  Voltage-gated sodium channel (VGSC) dysregulation, particularly of the Nav1.6 subtype, is a core mechanism underlying epileptogenesis and its associated neuropsychiatric comorbidities. The scorpion venom peptide BmK AS has demonstrated anticonvulsant potential, but its efficacy in chronic epilepsy and the precise mechanisms of action remain undefined. Methods:  Here, we show that BmK AS exerts robust anti-epileptic and neuroprotective effects through converging mechanisms. In a kainic acid-induced mouse model, BmK AS treatment reduced mortality and seizure parameters. Electrophysiological studies assessed BmK AS modulation of VGSC subtypes. The functional relevance of Nav1.6 targeting was confirmed by the loss of BmK AS’s anti-seizure efficacy upon its pharmacological blockade in a PTZ-in...

Rapoport effects in edaphic spiders (Araneae) diversity along an elevational gradient in Brazilian semiarid domain

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Rapoport effects in edaphic spiders (Araneae) diversity along an elevational gradient in Brazilian semiarid domain

ABSTRACT

The Rapoport Effect is a macroecological approach that proposes to explain the trend of species distribution across environmental gradients. Here, edaphic spiders were chosen as a model organism to test the Rapoport Effect along an elevational gradient in a ‘Brejo de Altitude’ in the Baturité Massif, Northeast Brazil. Spiders were sampled during 13 months from August 2020 to August 2021 using pitfall traps in five elevational bands distributed along the Baturité Massif. A total of 1,476 individuals were collected, of which adults correspond to 1,171 individuals, belonging to 107 morphospecies from 29 families. A tendency was observed in the decrease of species richness as a function of the increase in altitude, except in the two higher bands. We also found that 26 morphospecies present maximum elevational amplitude (740 m). Our results provide support for the occurrence of the Rapoport Effect in edaphic spiders along the elevational gradient in Baturité Massif.

Azevedo, R., Sales, L. G., de Azevedo, F. R., de Araújo Lira, A. F., & Sobczak, J. F. (2024). Rapoport effects in edaphic spiders (Araneae) diversity along an elevational gradient in Brazilian semiarid domain. Studies on Neotropical Fauna and Environment, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1080/01650521.2024.2395717