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Kintos DP, Salagiannis K, Sgouros A, Nikolaropoulos SS, Topouzis S, Fousteris MA. Identification of new multi-substituted 1H-pyrazolo[3,4-c]pyridin-7(6H)-ones as soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC) stimulators with vasoprotective and anti-inflammatory activities. Bioorg Chem 2024; 144:107170. [PMID: 38335755 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2024.107170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2023] [Revised: 01/24/2024] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
Herein, we describe the rational design, synthesis and in vitro functional characterization of new heme-dependent, direct soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC) agonists. These new compounds bear a 1H-pyrazolo[3,4-c]pyridin-7(6H)-one skeleton, modified to enable efficient sGC binding and stimulation. To gain insights into structure-activity relationships, the N6-alkylation of the skeleton was explored, while a pyrimidine ring, substituted with various C5'-polar groups, was installed at position C3. Among the newly synthesized 1H-pyrazolo[3,4-c]pyridin-7(6H)-ones, derivatives 14b, 15b and 16a display characteristic features of sGC "stimulators" in A7r5 vascular smooth muscle cells in vitro. They strongly synergize with the NO donor, sodium nitroprusside (SNP) in inducing cGMP generation in a manner that requires the presence of a reduced heme moiety associated with sGC, and elevate the cGMP-responsive phosphorylation of the protein VASP at Ser239. In line with their sGC stimulating capacity, docking calculations of derivatives 16a, 15(a-c) on a cryo-EM structure of human sGC (hsGC) in an ΝΟ-activated state indicated the implication of 1H-pyrazolo[3,4-c]pyridin-7(6H)-one skeleton in efficient bonding interactions with the recently identified region that binds known sGC stimulators, while the presence of either a N6-H or N6-methyl group pointed to enhanced binding affinity. Moreover, the in vitro functional effects of our newly identified sGC stimulators were compatible with a beneficial role in vascular homeostasis. Specifically, derivative 14b reduced A7r5 cell proliferation, while 16a dampened the expression of adhesion molecules ICAM-1 and P/E-Selectin in Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells (HUVECs), as well as the subsequent adhesion of U937 leukocytes to the HUVECs, triggered by tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) or interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β). The fact that these compounds elevate cGMP only in the presence of NO may indicate a novel way of interaction with the enzyme and may make them less prone than other direct sGC agonists to induce characteristic hypotension in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Konstantinos Salagiannis
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacy, University of Patras, Patras, GR-26500, Greece
| | - Antonis Sgouros
- Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry, Department of Pharmacy, University of Patras, Patras, GR-26500, Greece
| | - Sotiris S Nikolaropoulos
- Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry, Department of Pharmacy, University of Patras, Patras, GR-26500, Greece
| | - Stavros Topouzis
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacy, University of Patras, Patras, GR-26500, Greece.
| | - Manolis A Fousteris
- Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry, Department of Pharmacy, University of Patras, Patras, GR-26500, Greece.
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Dai Y, Stuehr DJ. BAY58-2667 Activates Different Soluble Guanylyl Cyclase Species by Distinct Mechanisms that Indicate Its Principal Target in Cells is the Heme-Free Soluble Guanylyl Cyclase-Heat Shock Protein 90 Complex. Mol Pharmacol 2023; 103:286-296. [PMID: 36868790 PMCID: PMC10166446 DOI: 10.1124/molpharm.122.000624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Revised: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 03/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Nitric oxide (NO)-unresponsive forms of soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC) exist naturally and in disease can disable NO-sGC-cGMP signaling. Agonists like BAY58-2667 (BAY58) target these sGC forms, but their mechanisms of action in living cells are unclear. We studied rat lung fibroblast-6 cells and human airway smooth muscle cells that naturally express sGC and HEK293 cells that we transfected to express sGC and variants. Cells were cultured to build up different forms of sGC, and we used fluorescence and FRET-based measures to monitor BAY58-driven cGMP production and any protein partner exchange or heme loss events that may occur for each sGC species. We found that: (i) BAY58 activated cGMP production by the apo-sGCβ-Hsp90 species after a 5-8 minute delay that was associated with apo-sGCβ exchanging its Hsp90 partner with an sGCα subunit. (ii) In cells containing an artificially constructed heme-free sGC heterodimer, BAY58 initiated an immediate and three times faster cGMP production. However, this behavior was not observed in cells expressing native sGC under any condition. (iii) BAY58 activated cGMP production by ferric heme sGC only after a 30-minute delay, coincident with it initiating a delayed, slow ferric heme loss from sGCβ We conclude that the kinetics favor BAY58 activation of the apo-sGCβ-Hsp90 species over the ferric heme sGC species in living cells. The protein partner exchange events driven by BAY58 account for the initial delay in cGMP production and also limit the speed of subsequent cGMP production in the cells. Our findings clarify how agonists like BAY58 may activate sGC in health and disease. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: A class of agonists can activate cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) synthesis by forms of soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC) that do not respond to NO and accumulate in disease, but the mechanisms of action are unclear. This study clarifies what forms of sGC exist in living cells, which of these can be activated by the agonists, and the mechanisms and kinetics by which each form is activated. This information may help to hasten deployment of these agonists for pharmaceutical intervention and clinical therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Dai
- Department of Inflammation and Immunity, Lerner Research Institute, The Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio
| | - Dennis J Stuehr
- Department of Inflammation and Immunity, Lerner Research Institute, The Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio
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Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of new 3,4-dihydroquinoxalin-2(1H)-one derivatives as soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC) activators. Heliyon 2022; 8:e11438. [DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e11438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2022] [Revised: 10/27/2022] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
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Zagst H, Elgert C, Behrends S, Wätzig H. Combination of strong anion exchange liquid chromatography with microchip capillary electrophoresis sodium dodecyl sulfate for rapid two-dimensional separations of complex protein mixtures. Anal Bioanal Chem 2022; 414:1699-1712. [PMID: 34870722 PMCID: PMC8761713 DOI: 10.1007/s00216-021-03797-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2021] [Revised: 10/13/2021] [Accepted: 11/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Two-dimensional separations provide a simple way to increase the resolution and peak capacity of complex protein separations. The feasibility of a recently developed instrumental approach for two-dimensional separations of proteins was evaluated. The approach is based on the general principle of two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. In the first dimension, semi-preparative strong anion exchange high-performance liquid chromatography is utilized and fractions are collected by means of a fraction collector. They are subsequently analyzed in the second dimension with microchip capillary electrophoresis sodium dodecyl sulfate. Microchip capillary electrophoresis provides the necessary speed (approximately 1 min/fraction) for short analysis. In this study, three different samples were investigated. Different constructs of soluble guanylyl cyclase were expressed in Sf9-cells using the baculovirus expression system. Cell lysates were analyzed and the resulting separations were compared. In our experimental setup, the soluble guanylyl cyclase was identified among hundreds of other proteins in these cell lysates, indicating its potential for screening, process control, or analysis. The results were validated by immunoblotting. Samples from Chinese hamster ovary cell culture before and after a purification step were investigated and approximately 9% less impurities could be observed. The separation patterns obtained for human plasma are closely similar to patterns obtained with two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and a total of 218 peaks could be observed. Overall, the approach was well applicable to all samples and, based on these results, further directions for improvements were identified. .
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Affiliation(s)
- Holger Zagst
- Technische Universität Braunschweig, Institute of Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Beethovenstraße 55, 38106, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Christin Elgert
- Technische Universität Braunschweig, Institute of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Clinical Pharmacy, Mendelssohnstraße 1, 38106, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Sönke Behrends
- Technische Universität Braunschweig, Institute of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Clinical Pharmacy, Mendelssohnstraße 1, 38106, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Hermann Wätzig
- Technische Universität Braunschweig, Institute of Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Beethovenstraße 55, 38106, Braunschweig, Germany.
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Rennie GR, Barden TC, Bernier SG, Carvalho A, Deming R, Germano P, Hudson C, Im GYJ, Iyengar RR, Jia L, Jung J, Kim E, Lee TWH, Mermerian A, Moore J, Nakai T, Perl NR, Tobin J, Zimmer DP, Renhowe PA. Discovery of CYR715: A novel carboxylic acid-containing soluble guanylate cyclase stimulator. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2021; 40:127886. [PMID: 33662540 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2021.127886] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2020] [Revised: 02/09/2021] [Accepted: 02/10/2021] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) is a clinically validated therapeutic target in the treatment of pulmonary hypertension. Modulators of sGC have the potential to treat diseases that are affected by dysregulation of the NO-sGC-cGMP signal transduction pathway. This letter describes the SAR efforts that led to the discovery of CYR715, a novel carboxylic acid-containing sGC stimulator, with an improved metabolic profile relative to our previously described stimulator, IWP-051. CYR715 addressed potential idiosyncratic drug toxicity (IDT) liabilities associated with the formation of reactive, migrating acyl glucuronides (AG) found in related carboxylic acid-containing analogs and demonstrated high oral bioavailability in rat and dose-dependent hemodynamic pharmacology in normotensive Sprague-Dawley rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Glen R Rennie
- Cyclerion Therapeutics, Inc., 301 Binney Street Cambridge, MA 02142, United States
| | - Timothy C Barden
- Cyclerion Therapeutics, Inc., 301 Binney Street Cambridge, MA 02142, United States
| | - Sylvie G Bernier
- Cyclerion Therapeutics, Inc., 301 Binney Street Cambridge, MA 02142, United States
| | - Andrew Carvalho
- Cyclerion Therapeutics, Inc., 301 Binney Street Cambridge, MA 02142, United States
| | - Renee Deming
- Cyclerion Therapeutics, Inc., 301 Binney Street Cambridge, MA 02142, United States
| | - Peter Germano
- Cyclerion Therapeutics, Inc., 301 Binney Street Cambridge, MA 02142, United States
| | - Colleen Hudson
- Cyclerion Therapeutics, Inc., 301 Binney Street Cambridge, MA 02142, United States
| | - G-Yoon J Im
- Cyclerion Therapeutics, Inc., 301 Binney Street Cambridge, MA 02142, United States
| | - Rajesh R Iyengar
- Cyclerion Therapeutics, Inc., 301 Binney Street Cambridge, MA 02142, United States
| | - Lei Jia
- Cyclerion Therapeutics, Inc., 301 Binney Street Cambridge, MA 02142, United States
| | - Joon Jung
- Cyclerion Therapeutics, Inc., 301 Binney Street Cambridge, MA 02142, United States
| | - Elise Kim
- Cyclerion Therapeutics, Inc., 301 Binney Street Cambridge, MA 02142, United States
| | - Thomas W-H Lee
- Cyclerion Therapeutics, Inc., 301 Binney Street Cambridge, MA 02142, United States
| | - Ara Mermerian
- Cyclerion Therapeutics, Inc., 301 Binney Street Cambridge, MA 02142, United States
| | - Joel Moore
- Cyclerion Therapeutics, Inc., 301 Binney Street Cambridge, MA 02142, United States
| | - Takashi Nakai
- Cyclerion Therapeutics, Inc., 301 Binney Street Cambridge, MA 02142, United States
| | - Nicholas R Perl
- Cyclerion Therapeutics, Inc., 301 Binney Street Cambridge, MA 02142, United States
| | - Jenny Tobin
- Cyclerion Therapeutics, Inc., 301 Binney Street Cambridge, MA 02142, United States
| | - Daniel P Zimmer
- Cyclerion Therapeutics, Inc., 301 Binney Street Cambridge, MA 02142, United States
| | - Paul A Renhowe
- Cyclerion Therapeutics, Inc., 301 Binney Street Cambridge, MA 02142, United States.
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Harloff M, Prüschenk S, Seifert R, Schlossmann J. Activation of soluble guanylyl cyclase signalling with cinaciguat improves impaired kidney function in diabetic mice. Br J Pharmacol 2021; 179:2460-2475. [PMID: 33651375 DOI: 10.1111/bph.15425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2020] [Revised: 02/17/2021] [Accepted: 02/19/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Diabetic nephropathy is the leading cause for end-stage renal disease worldwide. Until now, there is no specific therapy available. Standard treatment with inhibitors of the renin-angiotensin system just slows down progression. However, targeting the NO/sGC/cGMP pathway using sGC activators does prevent kidney damage. Thus, we investigated if the sGC activator cinaciguat was beneficial in a mouse model of diabetic nephropathy, and we analysed how mesangial cells (MCs) were affected by related conditions in cell culture. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH Type 1 diabetes was induced with streptozotocin in wild-type and endothelial NOS knockout (eNOS KO) mice for 8 or 12 weeks.. Half of these mice received cinaciguat in their chow for the last 4 weeks. Kidneys from the diabetic mice were analysed with histochemical assays and by RT-PCR and western blotting. . Additionally, primary murine MCs under diabetic conditions were stimulated with 8-Br-cGMP or cinaciguat to activate the sGC/cGMP pathway. KEY RESULTS The diabetic eNOS KO mice developed most characteristics of diabetic nephropathy, most marked at 12 weeks. Treatment with cinaciguat markedly improved GFR, serum creatinine, mesangial expansion and kidney fibrosis in these animals. We determined expression levels of related signalling proteins. Thrombospondin 1, a key mediator in kidney diseases, was strongly up-regulated under diabetic conditions and this increase was suppressed by activation of sGC/cGMP signalling. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS Activation of the NO/sGC/PKG pathway with cinaciguat was beneficial in a model of diabetic nephropathy. Activators of sGC might be an appropriate therapy option in patients with Type 1 diabetes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuela Harloff
- Institute of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Sally Prüschenk
- Institute of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Roland Seifert
- Institute of Pharmacology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.,Research Core Unit Metabolomics, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Jens Schlossmann
- Institute of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
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Tyrosine 135 of the β1 subunit as binding site of BAY-543: Importance of the Y-x-S-x-R motif for binding and activation by sGC activator drugs. Eur J Pharmacol 2020; 881:173203. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2020.173203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2020] [Revised: 05/11/2020] [Accepted: 05/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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Velagic A, Qin C, Woodman OL, Horowitz JD, Ritchie RH, Kemp-Harper BK. Nitroxyl: A Novel Strategy to Circumvent Diabetes Associated Impairments in Nitric Oxide Signaling. Front Pharmacol 2020; 11:727. [PMID: 32508651 PMCID: PMC7248192 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2020.00727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2020] [Accepted: 05/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Diabetes is associated with an increased mortality risk due to cardiovascular complications. Hyperglycemia-induced oxidative stress underlies these complications, leading to an impairment in endogenous nitric oxide (NO•) generation, together with reductions in NO• bioavailability and NO• responsiveness in the vasculature, platelets and myocardium. The latter impairment of responsiveness to NO•, termed NO• resistance, compromises the ability of traditional NO•-based therapeutics to improve hemodynamic status during diabetes-associated cardiovascular emergencies, such as acute myocardial infarction. Whilst a number of agents can ameliorate (e.g. angiotensin converting enzyme [ACE] inhibitors, perhexiline, statins and insulin) or circumvent (e.g. nitrite and sGC activators) NO• resistance, nitroxyl (HNO) donors offer a novel opportunity to circumvent NO• resistance in diabetes. With a suite of vasoprotective properties and an ability to enhance cardiac inotropic and lusitropic responses, coupled with preserved efficacy in the setting of oxidative stress, HNO donors have intact therapeutic potential in the face of diminished NO• signaling. This review explores the major mechanisms by which hyperglycemia-induced oxidative stress drives NO• resistance, and the therapeutic potential of HNO donors to circumvent this to treat cardiovascular complications in type 2 diabetes mellitus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anida Velagic
- Heart Failure Pharmacology, Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Drug Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Chengxue Qin
- Heart Failure Pharmacology, Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Drug Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Owen L. Woodman
- Drug Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - John D. Horowitz
- Basil Hetzel Institute, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Rebecca H. Ritchie
- Heart Failure Pharmacology, Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Drug Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Department of Pharmacology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Barbara K. Kemp-Harper
- Department of Pharmacology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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Elgert C, Rühle A, Sandner P, Behrends S. Thermal shift assay: Strengths and weaknesses of the method to investigate the ligand-induced thermostabilization of soluble guanylyl cyclase. J Pharm Biomed Anal 2019; 181:113065. [PMID: 32032919 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpba.2019.113065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2019] [Revised: 12/20/2019] [Accepted: 12/20/2019] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Thermal shift assay is a fluorescence dye based biochemical method to determine the melting point of a protein. It can be used to investigate the ligand-induced stabilization of proteins and helps to increase the likelihood of crystallization in biological samples. Dimeric proteins like soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC) have specific structural and functional properties which may pose a challenge in thermal shift measurements. In this paper, thermal shift assay was used to examine ligand-induced thermostabilization of the dimeric heme-containing protein soluble guanylyl cyclase. Adjustment of the parameters buffer solution, pH, protein / dye ratio and protein amount per well yielded a one-phase melting curve of sGC with a sharp transition and high reproducibility. We found that thermal shift measurement is not affected by heme state or heme content of the enzyme preparation. We used the method to investigate the thermostabilization of sGC induced by the heme-mimetic activator drugs cinaciguat, BAY 60-2770 and BR 11257 in combination with non-hydrolyzable nucleotides. Measurements with the dicarboxylic drugs cinaciguat and BAY 60-2770 yielded steep melting curves with high amplitudes. In contrast, in the presence of the monocarboxylic sGC activator BR 11257, melting curves appear flattened in the dye-based measurements. In the present paper, we show that activity-based thermostability measurements are superior to dye-based measurements in detecting the thermostabilizing influence of sGC activator drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christin Elgert
- Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Clinical Pharmacy, University of Braunschweig - Institute of Technology, Germany.
| | - Anne Rühle
- Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Clinical Pharmacy, University of Braunschweig - Institute of Technology, Germany.
| | | | - Sönke Behrends
- Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Clinical Pharmacy, University of Braunschweig - Institute of Technology, Germany.
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