AR-42 (also known as OSU-HDAC42), a derivative of hydroxamate-tethered phenylbutyrate, is a novel and potent inhibitor of histone deacetylase (HDAC) that potently inhibits the activity of HDAC with 50% inhibition concentration IC50 value of 16 nM and induces histone H3 acetylation, α-tubulin acetylation and p21 up-regulation, which have been considered as the hallmark indicators of HDAC inhibition. AR-42 has been found to modulate several apoptosis inhibitors as well as cell survival regulator, including Akt, Bcl-xL, Bax, Ku70 and surviving, and exert potent antitumor activity against multiple tumor types, such as human prostate and hepatic cancers, at least partially through PI3K/Akt pathway inhibition.
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