Abstract
This review examines publications over the past two years devoted to histone deacetylase inhibitors for the treatment of cancer, diseases of the nervous, cardiovascular, digestive, and respiratory systems, and autoimmune diseases. The review covers various classes of histone deacetylase inhibitors depending on the zinc-binding group, in particular hydroxamic acids, benzamides, hydrazides, carboxylic acids, and cyclic peptides. The review pays special attention to the mechanisms of development of pathologies involving various isoforms of histone deacetylases. The review shows that, for the treatment of cancer, nervous, cardiovascular, respiratory systems, and autoimmune diseases, the most promising compounds are hydroxamic acids, and for the treatment of diseases of the digestive system, they are hydrazides and cyclic peptides. Variation in the linker and cap group of hydroxamic acids will allow the creation of an inhibitor selective for a specific histone deacetylase isoform. The review may be useful for molecular biologists, medical workers, and pharmacologists involved in the design of new drugs.