Identification of type-specific anticancer histone deacetylase inhibitors: road to success

Abstract

Cancer is a serious and life-eliminating disease. Majority of anticancer agents are non-selective. Along with the cancerous cells they also target the normal ones. An important aspect is to hit the developing mechanism of the tumor, which is highlighted by in silico drug designing. On the basis of novel molecular targets, in silico (computational approach) drug discovery has emerged as today's need. Histone deacetylases are an important therapeutic target for many human cancers. The first and only approved (in 2006) histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACIs) is Zolinza. Depending on the types of the histone deacetylase (HDAC) enzymes, discovery of type-specific inhibitors is important. With continued research and development, in near future HDACIs are likely to figure prominently in cancer treatment plans. This review presents the overview of HDACs, their role in cancer, their structural classes, activity, catalytic domain and the inhibitors of HDACs for cancer therapy. Also it helps in understanding the open directions in this area of research and highlights the importance of computational approaches in discovering specific drugs for cancer therapy.