Abstract

The occurrence and development of tumors are closely related to epigenetic instability which modulates gene expression through DNA methylation, histone modification, chromatin remodeling, and RNA-related silencing. Histone deacetylase (HDAC) and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) are targets of epigenetic regulation. Over the years, a large number of studies have shown that HDAC inhibitors and PARP inhibitors have synergistic effects in the treatment of tumors, and there are reports of related dual HDAC/PARP inhibitors. This review will give a brief summary of the synergistic mechanisms of HDAC inhibitors and PARP inhibitors and introduce the design of the first dual HDAC/PARP inhibitor, which may guide the design of more dual HDAC/PARP inhibitors for the treatment of tumors.

Keywords: Epigenetics, Tumor, HDAC, PARP, Dual inhibitors, Synergy.