High-throughput virtual screening, identification and <i>in vitro</i> biological evaluation of novel inhibitors of PLK1 and NRP1

Overexpression of PLK1 and NRP1 correlate with enhanced proliferative activity in lung cancer cells, thus the development of dual-target PLK1/NRP1 inhibitors holds great therapeutic promise. In this study, five compounds (PLN 1-5) targeting both PLK1 and NRP1 were identified using a multi-step virtual screening approach. PLN-5 showed nanomolar inhibitory potency against PLK1 (IC₅₀ = 2.07 ± 0.13 nM) and NRP1 (IC₅₀ = 5.15 ± 0.24 nM), exceeding the positive controls onvansertib and EG00229 by approximately 9-fold and 124-fold, respectively. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations revealed that PLN-5 maintained a stable binding to the active sites of PLK1 and NRP1. Importantly, MTT assays showed that PLN-5 had significant antiproliferative activity (IC₅₀ = 0.27 ± 0.02 μM) against human lung cancer cells, with no significant inhibitory effect on normal lung cells. In conclusion, these results demonstrate the therapeutic potential of PLN-5 as a dual-targeting antitumor agent that warrants further development.