1
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Flammia R, Huang B, Pagare PP, M St Onge C, Abebayehu A, Gillespie JC, Mendez RE, Selley DE, Dewey WL, Zhang Y. Blocking potential metabolic sites on NAT to improve its safety profile while retaining the pharmacological profile. Bioorg Chem 2024; 148:107489. [PMID: 38797065 PMCID: PMC11190787 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2024.107489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2024] [Revised: 05/08/2024] [Accepted: 05/21/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
The number of opioid-related overdose deaths and individuals that have suffered from opioid use disorders have significantly increased over the last 30 years. FDA approved maintenance therapies to treat opioid use disorder may successfully curb drug craving and prevent relapse but harbor adverse effects that reduce patient compliance. This has created a need for new chemical entities with improved patient experience. Previously our group reported a novel lead compound, NAT, a mu-opioid receptor antagonist that potently antagonized the antinociception of morphine and showed significant blood-brain barrier permeability. However, NAT belongs to thiophene containing compounds which are known structural alerts for potential oxidative metabolism. To overcome this, 15 NAT derivatives with various substituents at the 5'-position of the thiophene ring were designed and their structure-activity relationships were studied. These derivatives were characterized for their binding affinity, selectivity, and functional activity at the mu opioid receptor and assessed for their ability to antagonize the antinociceptive effects of morphine in vivo. Compound 12 showed retention of the basic pharmacological attributes of NAT while improving the withdrawal effects that were experienced in opioid-dependent mice. Further studies will be conducted to fully characterize compound 12 to examine whether it would serve as a new lead for opioid use disorder treatment and management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachael Flammia
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, 800 E Leigh Street, Richmond, VA 23298, United States
| | - Boshi Huang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, 800 E Leigh Street, Richmond, VA 23298, United States
| | - Piyusha P Pagare
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, 800 E Leigh Street, Richmond, VA 23298, United States
| | - Celsey M St Onge
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, 800 E Leigh Street, Richmond, VA 23298, United States
| | - Abeje Abebayehu
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, 800 E Leigh Street, Richmond, VA 23298, United States
| | - James C Gillespie
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, 410 North 12th Street, Richmond, VA 23298, United States
| | - Rolando E Mendez
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, 410 North 12th Street, Richmond, VA 23298, United States
| | - Dana E Selley
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, 410 North 12th Street, Richmond, VA 23298, United States
| | - William L Dewey
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, 410 North 12th Street, Richmond, VA 23298, United States
| | - Yan Zhang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, 800 E Leigh Street, Richmond, VA 23298, United States; Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, 410 North 12th Street, Richmond, VA 23298, United States; Institute for Drug and Alcohol Studies, 203 East Cary Street, Richmond, VA 23298-0059.
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2
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Bodnar RJ. Endogenous opiates and behavior: 2023. Peptides 2024; 179:171268. [PMID: 38943841 DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2024.171268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2024] [Revised: 06/18/2024] [Accepted: 06/19/2024] [Indexed: 07/01/2024]
Abstract
This paper is the forty-sixth consecutive installment of the annual anthological review of research concerning the endogenous opioid system, summarizing articles published during 2023 that studied the behavioral effects of molecular, pharmacological and genetic manipulation of opioid peptides and receptors as well as effects of opioid/opiate agonists and antagonists. The review is subdivided into the following specific topics: molecular-biochemical effects and neurochemical localization studies of endogenous opioids and their receptors (1), the roles of these opioid peptides and receptors in pain and analgesia in animals (2) and humans (3), opioid-sensitive and opioid-insensitive effects of nonopioid analgesics (4), opioid peptide and receptor involvement in tolerance and dependence (5), stress and social status (6), learning and memory (7), eating and drinking (8), drug and alcohol abuse (9), sexual activity and hormones, pregnancy, development and endocrinology (10), mental illness and mood (11), seizures and neurologic disorders (12), electrical-related activity and neurophysiology (13), general activity and locomotion (14), gastrointestinal, renal and hepatic functions (15), cardiovascular responses (16), respiration and thermoregulation (17), and immunological responses (18).
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard J Bodnar
- Department of Psychology and Psychology Doctoral Sub-Program, Queens College and the Graduate Center, City University of New York, USA.
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3
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Jiang W, Hou Q, Xu H, Yang K, Wang X, Zhang K, Zeng Y, Li W, Wang B, Luo G, Zhao X, Shen H, Xu Y, Wu X. Discovery of Novel Phenoxyaryl Pyridones as Bromodomain and Extra-Terminal Domain (BET) Inhibitors with High Selectivity for the Second Bromodomain (BD2) to Potentially Treat Acute Myeloid Leukemia. J Med Chem 2024; 67:1513-1532. [PMID: 38175809 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c02104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2024]
Abstract
Bromodomain-selective BET inhibition has emerged as a promising strategy to improve the safety profiles of pan-BET inhibitors. Herein, we report the discovery of potent phenoxyaryl pyridones as highly BD2-selective BET inhibitors. Compound 23 (IC50 = 2.9 nM) exhibited a comparable BRD4 BD2 inhibitory activity relative to 10 (IC50 = 1.0 nM) and remarkably improved selectivity over BRD4 BD1 (23: 2583-fold; 10: 344-fold). This lead compound significantly inhibited the proliferation of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cell lines through induction of G0/G1 arrest and apoptosis in vitro. Excellent in vivo antitumor efficacy with 23 was achieved in an MV;411 mouse xenograft model. Pleasingly, compound 23 (hERG IC50 > 30 μM) mitigated the inhibition of the human ether-à-go-go-related gene (hERG) ion channel compared with 10 (hERG IC50 = 2.8 μM). This work provides a promising BD2-selective lead for the development of more effective and safe BET inhibitors as anticancer agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenhua Jiang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, China
- Institute of Innovative Drug Discovery and Development, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, China
| | - Qiangqiang Hou
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, China
- Institute of Innovative Drug Discovery and Development, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, China
| | - Hongrui Xu
- Center for Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510530, China
| | - Kexin Yang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, China
- Institute of Innovative Drug Discovery and Development, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, China
| | - Xiaohui Wang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, China
- Institute of Innovative Drug Discovery and Development, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, China
| | - Kuojun Zhang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, China
- Institute of Innovative Drug Discovery and Development, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, China
| | - Yi Zeng
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, China
- Institute of Innovative Drug Discovery and Development, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, China
| | - Wenqiang Li
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, China
- Institute of Innovative Drug Discovery and Development, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, China
| | - Bingrui Wang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, China
- Institute of Innovative Drug Discovery and Development, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, China
| | - Guangmei Luo
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, China
- Institute of Innovative Drug Discovery and Development, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, China
| | - Xiaofan Zhao
- GMU-GIBH Joint School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 511436, China
| | - Hui Shen
- Center for Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510530, China
| | - Yong Xu
- Center for Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510530, China
- China-New Zealand Joint Laboratory on Biomedicine and Health, Guangzhou, 510530, China
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510530, China
| | - Xiaoxing Wu
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, China
- Institute of Innovative Drug Discovery and Development, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, China
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4
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Pagare PP, Flammia R, Zhang Y. IUPHAR review: Recent progress in the development of Mu opioid receptor modulators to treat opioid use disorders. Pharmacol Res 2024; 199:107023. [PMID: 38081336 DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2023.107023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2023] [Revised: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2024]
Abstract
Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) can be described as intense preoccupation with using or obtaining opioids despite the negative consequences associated with their use. As the number of OUD cases in the U.S. increase, so do the number of opioid-related overdose deaths. In 2022, opioid-related overdose became the No. 1 cause of death for individuals in the U.S. between the ages of 25 and 64 years of age. Because of the introduction of highly potent synthetic opioids (e.g. fentanyl) to the illicit drug market, there is an urgent need for therapeutics that successfully reduce the number of overdoses and can help OUD patients maintain sobriety. Most abused opioids stimulate the mu-opioid receptor (MOR) and activation of this receptor can lead to positive (e.g., euphoria) consequences. However, the negative side effects of MOR stimulation can be fatal (e.g., sedation, respiratory depression). Therefore, the MOR is an attractive target for developing medications to treat OUD. Current FDA drugs include MOR agonists that aid in detoxification and relapse prevention, and MOR antagonists that also serve as maintenance therapies or reverse overdose. These medications are limited by their abuse potential, adverse effects, or pharmacological profiles which leaves ample room for research into designing new chemical entities with optimal physiological effects. These includes, orthosteric ligands that target the primary binding site of the MOR, allosteric ligands that positively, negatively, or "silently" modulate receptor function, and lastly, bitopic ligands target both the orthosteric and allosteric sites simultaneously.
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Affiliation(s)
- Piyusha P Pagare
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, 800 E. Leigh Street, Richmond, VA 23219, United States
| | - Rachael Flammia
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, 800 E. Leigh Street, Richmond, VA 23219, United States
| | - Yan Zhang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, 800 E. Leigh Street, Richmond, VA 23219, United States; Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, 410 North 12th Street, Richmond, VA 23298, United States; Institute for Drug and Alcohol Studies, 203 East Cary Street, Richmond, VA 23298, United States.
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5
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Zha J, He J, Wu C, Zhang M, Liu X, Zhang J. Designing drugs and chemical probes with the dualsteric approach. Chem Soc Rev 2023; 52:8651-8677. [PMID: 37990599 DOI: 10.1039/d3cs00650f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2023]
Abstract
Traditionally, drugs are monovalent, targeting only one site on the protein surface. This includes orthosteric and allosteric drugs, which bind the protein at orthosteric and allosteric sites, respectively. Orthosteric drugs are good in potency, whereas allosteric drugs have better selectivity and are solutions to classically undruggable targets. However, it would be difficult to simultaneously reach high potency and selectivity when targeting only one site. Also, both kinds of monovalent drugs suffer from mutation-caused drug resistance. To overcome these obstacles, dualsteric modulators have been proposed in the past twenty years. Compared to orthosteric or allosteric drugs, dualsteric modulators are bivalent (or bitopic) with two pharmacophores. Each of the two pharmacophores bind the protein at the orthosteric and an allosteric site, which could bring the modulator with special properties beyond monovalent drugs. In this study, we comprehensively review the current development of dualsteric modulators. Our main effort reason and illustrate the aims to apply the dualsteric approach, including a "double win" of potency and selectivity, overcoming mutation-caused drug resistance, developments of function-biased modulators, and design of partial agonists. Moreover, the strengths of the dualsteric technique also led to its application outside pharmacy, including the design of highly sensitive fluorescent tracers and usage as molecular rulers. Besides, we also introduced drug targets, designing strategies, and validation methods of dualsteric modulators. Finally, we detail the conclusions and perspectives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinyin Zha
- College of Pharmacy, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China.
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Genomics, National Research Center for Translational Medicine at Shanghai, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Jixiao He
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Genomics, National Research Center for Translational Medicine at Shanghai, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Chengwei Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Genomics, National Research Center for Translational Medicine at Shanghai, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Mingyang Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Genomics, National Research Center for Translational Medicine at Shanghai, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Xinyi Liu
- College of Pharmacy, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China.
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Genomics, National Research Center for Translational Medicine at Shanghai, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Jian Zhang
- College of Pharmacy, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China.
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Genomics, National Research Center for Translational Medicine at Shanghai, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Medicinal Chemistry and Bioinformatics Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
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6
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Bender AM, Parr LC, Livingston WB, Lindsley CW, Merryman WD. 2B Determined: The Future of the Serotonin Receptor 2B in Drug Discovery. J Med Chem 2023; 66:11027-11039. [PMID: 37584406 PMCID: PMC11073569 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c01178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/17/2023]
Abstract
The cardiotoxicity associated with des-ethyl-dexfenfluramine (norDF) and related agonists of the serotonin receptor 2B (5-HT2B) has solidified the receptor's place as an "antitarget" in drug discovery. Conversely, a growing body of evidence has highlighted the utility of 5-HT2B antagonists for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), valvular heart disease (VHD), and related cardiopathies. In this Perspective, we summarize the link between the clinical failure of fenfluramine-phentermine (fen-phen) and the subsequent research on the role of 5-HT2B in disease progression, as well as the development of drug-like and receptor subtype-selective 5-HT2B antagonists. Such agents represent a promising class for the treatment of PAH and VHD, but their utility has been historically understudied due to the clinical disasters associated with 5-HT2B. Herein, it is our aim to examine the current state of 5-HT2B drug discovery, with an emphasis on the receptor's role in the central nervous system (CNS) versus the periphery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron M Bender
- Warren Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
| | - Lauren C Parr
- Warren Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
| | - William B Livingston
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37240, United States
| | - Craig W Lindsley
- Warren Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
- Department of Chemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
- Vanderbilt Institute of Chemical Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
| | - W David Merryman
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37240, United States
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7
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Pinheiro PDSM, Franco LS, Fraga CAM. The Magic Methyl and Its Tricks in Drug Discovery and Development. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2023; 16:1157. [PMID: 37631072 PMCID: PMC10457765 DOI: 10.3390/ph16081157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2023] [Revised: 08/06/2023] [Accepted: 08/12/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
One of the key scientific aspects of small-molecule drug discovery and development is the analysis of the relationship between its chemical structure and biological activity. Understanding the effects that lead to significant changes in biological activity is of paramount importance for the rational design and optimization of bioactive molecules. The "methylation effect", or the "magic methyl" effect, is a factor that stands out due to the number of examples that demonstrate profound changes in either pharmacodynamic or pharmacokinetic properties. In many cases, this has been carried out rationally, but in others it has been the product of serendipitous observations. This paper summarizes recent examples that provide an overview of the current state of the art and contribute to a better understanding of the methylation effect in bioactive small-molecule drug candidates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro de Sena Murteira Pinheiro
- Laboratório de Avaliação e Síntese de Substâncias Bioativas (LASSBio), Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, RJ, Brazil; (P.d.S.M.P.); (L.S.F.)
| | - Lucas Silva Franco
- Laboratório de Avaliação e Síntese de Substâncias Bioativas (LASSBio), Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, RJ, Brazil; (P.d.S.M.P.); (L.S.F.)
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia de Fármacos e Medicamentos (INCT-INOFAR), CCS, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, RJ, Brazil
| | - Carlos Alberto Manssour Fraga
- Laboratório de Avaliação e Síntese de Substâncias Bioativas (LASSBio), Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, RJ, Brazil; (P.d.S.M.P.); (L.S.F.)
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia de Fármacos e Medicamentos (INCT-INOFAR), CCS, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, RJ, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Farmacologia e Química Medicinal, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, RJ, Brazil
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