Liu Nian, Hu Ningyuan, Fan Cunzheng, Tong Minghui, Shi Xuan, Wang Han, Sun Pengkun, Mu Shuyi, Qi Zehui, Sun Wenqiang, Zhang Haoyu, Sun Yixiang, Gao Zixuan, Zhao Dongmei, Cheng Maosheng
Key Laboratory of Structure-Based Drug Design and Discovery, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Engineering, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, 103 Wenhua Road, Shenhe District, Shenyang, 110016, China.
3D BioOptima, 1338 Wuzhong Avenue, Suzhou, 215104, China.
Eur J Med Chem. 2025 Oct 15;296:117867. doi: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2025.117867. Epub 2025 Jun 13.
Polo like kinase 4 (PLK4) is a critical member of the polo-like kinase family that works as a master regulator of centriole duplication and mitotic progression. Overexpression of PLK4 has been documented in various cancers and PLK4 inhibitors are regarded as a potential strategy for cancer treatment. In this study, we identified indazole derivative 8 as a hit compound through a virtual screening approach. Subsequent fragment-based rational drug design strategy was used to modify the chemical structure of compound 8 and yielded 34 indazole derivatives targeting PLK4. Among them, compound 34b (CZL-S092) exhibited a potent PLK4 inhibitory activity with an IC value of 0.9 nM, and exceptional selectivity in a panel of 37 kinases. At the cellular level, compound 34b demonstrated significant antiproliferative activity against the neuroblastoma cell lines IMR-32 and SH-SY5Y with IC values of 1.143 μM and 1.329 μM, respectively. Moreover, the colony formation, flow cytometry, wound healing and immunofluorescence analysis further confirmed the in vitro antitumor effects of compound 34b. Meanwhile, compound 34b displayed excellent in vitro drug permeability and plasma protein binding. Furthermore, compound 34b exhibited acceptable in vivo pharmacokinetic properties with the oral bioavailability of 22.1 %. Overall, compound 34b exhibited potent anti-neuroblastoma activities and acceptable pharmacokinetic properties, which served as a favorable lead compound targeting PLK4.
Polo样激酶4(PLK4)是Polo样激酶家族的关键成员,作为中心粒复制和有丝分裂进程的主要调节因子发挥作用。PLK4的过表达已在多种癌症中得到证实,PLK4抑制剂被视为一种潜在的癌症治疗策略。在本研究中,我们通过虚拟筛选方法确定吲唑衍生物8为活性化合物。随后采用基于片段的合理药物设计策略对化合物8的化学结构进行修饰,得到34种靶向PLK4的吲唑衍生物。其中,化合物34b(CZL-S092)表现出强大的PLK4抑制活性,IC值为0.9 nM,在37种激酶组成的面板中具有出色的选择性。在细胞水平上,化合物34b对神经母细胞瘤细胞系IMR-32和SH-SY5Y表现出显著的抗增殖活性,IC值分别为1.143 μM和1.329 μM。此外,集落形成、流式细胞术、伤口愈合和免疫荧光分析进一步证实了化合物34b的体外抗肿瘤作用。同时,化合物34b表现出优异的体外药物渗透性和血浆蛋白结合率。此外,化合物34b在体内具有可接受的药代动力学性质,口服生物利用度为22.1%。总体而言,化合物34b表现出强大的抗神经母细胞瘤活性和可接受的药代动力学性质,是一种靶向PLK4的良好先导化合物。