Abstract:Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors have emerged as promising cancer therapeutics due to their ability to
induce differentiation, cell cycle arrest, and apoptosis in cancer cells. In the present review, we have described
the systemic discovery and development of HDAC inhibitors. Researchers across the globe have identified
various small molecules like benzo[d][1,3]dioxol derivatives, belinostat analogs, pyrazine derivatives, quinazolin-
4-one-based derivatives, 2,4-imidazolinedione derivatives, acridine hydroxamic acid derivatives, coumarin
derivatives, tetrahydroisoquinoline derivatives, thiazole-5-carboxamide, salicylamide derivatives, β-peptoid-
capped HDAC inhibitors, quinazoline derivatives, benzimidazole and benzothiazole derivatives, and β-
elemene scaffold containing HDAC inhibitors. Most of the scaffolds have shown attractive IC50 (μM) in various
cell lines like HDAC1, HDAC2, HDAC6, PI3K, HeLa, MDA-MB-231, MCF-10A, MCF-7, U937, K562
and Bcr-Abl cell lines.