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Bian S, Zhang R, Nie J, Zhu M, Xie Z, Liao C, Wang Q. Progress with polo-like kinase (PLK) inhibitors: a patent review (2018-present). Expert Opin Ther Pat 2024; 34:789-806. [PMID: 38994687 DOI: 10.1080/13543776.2024.2379924] [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: 02/01/2024] [Accepted: 07/04/2024] [Indexed: 07/13/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Polo-like kinases (PLKs) have five isoforms, all of which play crucial roles in cell cycle and cell proliferation, offering opportunities for drug design and treatment of cancers and other related diseases. Notably, PLK1 and PLK4 have been extensively investigated as cancer drug targets. One distinctive feature of PLKs is the presence of a unique polo-box domain (PBD), which regulates kinase activity and subcellular localization. This provides possibilities for specifically targeting PLKs. AREA COVERED This article provides an overview of the roles of PLKs in various cancers and related diseases, as well as the drug development involving PLKs, with a particular focus on PLK1 and PLK4. It summarizes the PLK1 and PLK4 inhibitors that have been disclosed in patents or literature (from 2018 - present), which were sourced from SciFinder and WIPO database. EXPERT OPINION After two decades of drug development on PLKs, several drugs progressed into clinical trials for the treatment of many cancers; however, none of them has been approved yet. Further elucidating the mechanisms of PLKs and identifying and developing highly selective ATP-competitive inhibitors, highly potent drug-like PBD inhibitors, degraders, etc. may provide new opportunities for cancer therapy and the treatment for several nononcologic diseases. PLKs inhibition-based combination therapies can be another helpful strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shirong Bian
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Engineering, School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Ru Zhang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Engineering, School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Jianyu Nie
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Engineering, School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Mingxing Zhu
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Engineering, School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Zhouling Xie
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Engineering, School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Chenzhong Liao
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Engineering, School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Qin Wang
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China
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Lei Q, Yu Q, Yang N, Xiao Z, Song C, Zhang R, Yang S, Liu Z, Deng H. Therapeutic potential of targeting polo-like kinase 4. Eur J Med Chem 2024; 265:116115. [PMID: 38199166 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2023.116115] [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: 11/17/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/30/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
Polo-like kinase 4 (PLK4), a highly conserved serine/threonine kinase, masterfully regulates centriole duplication in a spatiotemporal manner to ensure the fidelity of centrosome duplication and proper mitosis. Abnormal expression of PLK4 contributes to genomic instability and associates with a poor prognosis in cancer. Inhibition of PLK4 is demonstrated to exhibit significant efficacy against various types of human cancers, further highlighting its potential as a promising therapeutic target for cancer treatment. As such, numerous small-molecule inhibitors with distinct chemical scaffolds targeting PLK4 have been extensively investigated for the treatment of different human cancers, with several undergoing clinical evaluation (e.g., CFI-400945). Here, we review the structure, distribution, and biological functions of PLK4, encapsulate its intricate regulatory mechanisms of expression, and highlighting its multifaceted roles in cancer development and metastasis. Moreover, the recent advancements of PLK4 inhibitors in patent or literature are summarized, and their therapeutic potential as monotherapies or combination therapies with other anticancer agents are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Lei
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, West China Hospital and Targeted Tracer Research and Development Laboratory, Precision Medicine Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province & Precision Medicine Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, China
| | - Quanwei Yu
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, West China Hospital and Targeted Tracer Research and Development Laboratory, Precision Medicine Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province & Precision Medicine Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, China
| | - Na Yang
- Laboratory of Clinical Pharmacy and Adverse Drug Reaction, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, China
| | - Zhaolin Xiao
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, West China Hospital and Targeted Tracer Research and Development Laboratory, Precision Medicine Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province & Precision Medicine Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, China
| | - Chao Song
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, West China Hospital and Targeted Tracer Research and Development Laboratory, Precision Medicine Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province & Precision Medicine Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, China
| | - Rui Zhang
- Department of Pharmacy, Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital, Guizhou, Guiyang, 550002, China
| | - Shuxin Yang
- Key Laboratory of Quantitative Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Zhihao Liu
- Department of Emergency Medicine and Laboratory of Emergency Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, China.
| | - Hui Deng
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, West China Hospital and Targeted Tracer Research and Development Laboratory, Precision Medicine Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province & Precision Medicine Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, China.
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Xue Y, Mu S, Sun P, Sun Y, Liu N, Sun Y, Wang L, Zhao D, Cheng M. Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of novel pyrimidin-2-amine derivatives as potent PLK4 inhibitors. RSC Med Chem 2023; 14:1787-1802. [PMID: 37731702 PMCID: PMC10507801 DOI: 10.1039/d3md00267e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Serine/threonine protein kinase PLK4 is a master regulator of centriole duplication, which is significant for maintaining genome integrity. Accordingly, due to the detection of PLK4 overexpression in a variety of cancers, PLK4 has been identified as a candidate anticancer target. Thus, it is a very meaningful to find effective and safe PLK4 inhibitors for the treatment of cancer. However, the reported PLK4 inhibitors are scarce and have potential safety issues. In this study, a series of novel and potent PLK4 inhibitors with an aminopyrimidine core was obtained utilizing the scaffold hopping strategy. The in vitro enzyme activity results showed that compound 8h (PLK4 IC50 = 0.0067 μM) displayed high PLK4 inhibitory activity. In addition, compound 8h exhibited a good plasma stability (t1/2 > 289.1 min), liver microsomal stability (t1/2 > 145 min), and low risk of DDIs. At the cellular level, it presented excellent antiproliferative activity against breast cancer cells. Taken together, these results suggest that compound 8h has potential value in the further research of PLK4-targeted anticancer drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanli Xue
- Key Laboratory of Structure-Based Drug Design and Discovery of Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Engineering, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University 103 Wenhua Road, Shenhe District 110016 Shenyang China
| | - Shuyi Mu
- Key Laboratory of Structure-Based Drug Design and Discovery of Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Engineering, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University 103 Wenhua Road, Shenhe District 110016 Shenyang China
| | - Pengkun Sun
- Key Laboratory of Structure-Based Drug Design and Discovery of Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Engineering, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University 103 Wenhua Road, Shenhe District 110016 Shenyang China
| | - Yin Sun
- Key Laboratory of Structure-Based Drug Design and Discovery of Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Engineering, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University 103 Wenhua Road, Shenhe District 110016 Shenyang China
| | - Nian Liu
- Key Laboratory of Structure-Based Drug Design and Discovery of Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Engineering, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University 103 Wenhua Road, Shenhe District 110016 Shenyang China
| | - Yu Sun
- Key Laboratory of Structure-Based Drug Design and Discovery of Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Engineering, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University 103 Wenhua Road, Shenhe District 110016 Shenyang China
| | - Lin Wang
- Key Laboratory of Structure-Based Drug Design and Discovery of Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Engineering, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University 103 Wenhua Road, Shenhe District 110016 Shenyang China
| | - Dongmei Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Structure-Based Drug Design and Discovery of Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Engineering, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University 103 Wenhua Road, Shenhe District 110016 Shenyang China
| | - Maosheng Cheng
- Key Laboratory of Structure-Based Drug Design and Discovery of Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Engineering, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University 103 Wenhua Road, Shenhe District 110016 Shenyang China
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Sun Y, Xue Y, Liu H, Mu S, Sun P, Sun Y, Wang L, Wang H, Wang J, Wu T, Yin W, Qin Q, Sun Y, Yang H, Zhao D, Cheng M. Discovery of CZS-241: A Potent, Selective, and Orally Available Polo-Like Kinase 4 Inhibitor for the Treatment of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia. J Med Chem 2023; 66:2396-2421. [PMID: 36734825 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c02124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Recent studies demonstrate that PLK4 has emerged as a therapeutic target for the treatment of multiple cancers owing to its indispensable role in cell division. Herein, starting from previously identified effective compound CZS-034, based on rational drug design strategies, tyrosine kinase receptor A (TRKA) selectivity- and metabolic stability-guided structure-activity relationship (SAR) exploration were carried out to discover a highly potent (IC50 = 2.6 nM) and selective (SF = 1054.4 over TRKA) PLK4 inhibitor B43 (CZS-241) with acceptable human liver microsome stability (t1/2 = 31.5 min). Moreover, compound B43 effectively inhibited leukemia cells in 29 tested cell lines, especially chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) cell lines K562 and KU-812. Pharmacokinetic characteristics revealed that compound B43 possessed over 4 h of half-life and 70.8% bioavailability in mice. In the K562 cells xenograft mouse model, a 20 mg/kg/day dosage treatment obviously suppressed tumor progression. As a potential and novel PLK4-targeted candidate drug for CML, compound B43 is undergoing extensive preclinical safety evaluation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yin Sun
- 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, P. R. China
| | - Yanli Xue
- 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, P. R. China
| | - Hongbing Liu
- School of Pharmacy, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, 103 Wenhua Road, Shenhe District, Shenyang 110016, P. R. China
| | - Shuyi Mu
- 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, P. R. China
| | - Pengkun Sun
- 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, P. R. China
| | - Yu Sun
- 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, P. R. China
| | - Lin Wang
- 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, P. R. China
| | - Hanxun Wang
- 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, P. R. China
| | - Jingkai Wang
- 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, P. R. China
| | - Tianxiao Wu
- 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, P. R. China
| | - Wenbo Yin
- 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, P. R. China
| | - Qiaohua Qin
- 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, P. R. China
| | - Yixiang Sun
- 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, P. R. China
| | - Huali Yang
- 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, P. R. China
| | - Dongmei Zhao
- 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, P. R. China
| | - Maosheng Cheng
- 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, P. R. China
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Liu N, Wang X, Fu Q, Qin Q, Wu T, Lv R, Zhao D, Cheng M. Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of pyrazolo[3,4- b]pyridine derivatives as TRK inhibitors. RSC Med Chem 2023; 14:85-102. [PMID: 36760745 PMCID: PMC9890667 DOI: 10.1039/d2md00334a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Tropomyosin receptor kinases (TRKs) are associated with the proliferation and differentiation of cells, and thus their continuous activation and overexpression cause cancer. Herein, based on scaffold hopping and computer-aid drug design, 38 pyrazolo[3,4-b]pyridine derivatives were synthesised. Further, we evaluated their activities to inhibit TRKA. Among them, compound C03 showed acceptable activity with an IC50 value of 56 nM and it inhibited the proliferation of the Km-12 cell line with an IC50 value of 0.304 μM together with obvious selectivity for the MCF-7 cell line and HUVEC cell line. Furthermore, compound C03 possessed good plasma stability and low inhibitory activity to a panel of cytochrome P450 isoforms except CYP2C9. Overall, C03 has potential for further exploration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nian Liu
- 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 PR China
| | - Xin Wang
- 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 PR China
| | - Qinglin Fu
- 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 PR China
| | - Qiaohua Qin
- 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 PR China
| | - Tianxiao Wu
- 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 PR China
| | - Ruicheng Lv
- 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 PR China
| | - Dongmei Zhao
- 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 PR China
| | - Maosheng Cheng
- 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 PR China
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