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Updated: Oct 13, 2025

Simultaneous Measurement of HDAC1 and HDAC6 Activity in HeLa Cells Using UHPLC-MS
Published on: August 10, 2017
Medicinal chemistry updates of novel HDACs inhibitors (2020 to present)
Xingrui He1, Zi Hui2, Li Xu2
1School of Pharmacy, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 311121, China; Key Laboratory of Elemene Class Anti-Cancer Chinese Medicines, Engineering Laboratory of Development and Application of Traditional Chinese Medicines, Collaborative Innovation Center of Traditional Chinese Medicines of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 311121, China; School of Pharmacy, Liaocheng University, Shandong, 252000, China; Hunan Engineering Technology Research Center for Comprehensive Development and Utilization of Biomass Resources, Hunan University of Science and Engineering, Yongzhou, 425199, China.
Abstract:
Epigentic enzymes histone deacetylases (HDACs) catalyze the removal of acetyl groups from the ε-N-acetylated lysine residues of various protein substrates including both histone and non-histone proteins. Different HDACs have distinct biological functions and are recruited to specific regions of the genome. Due to their important biological functions, HDACs have been validated in clinics for anticancer therapy, and are being explored for potential treatment of several other diseases such as Alzheimer disease (AD), metabolic disease, viral infection, and multiple sclerosis, etc. Besides five approved drugs, there are more than thirty HDACs inhibitors currently being investigated in clinical trials. Centering on the advances of drug discovery programs in this field since 2020, this review discusses HDACs inhibitors from the aspects of the structure-based rational design, isoform selectivity, pharmacology, and toxicology of the compounds of interest. The hope is to provide the medicinal chemistry community with up-to-date information and to accelerate the drug discovery programs in this area.
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