Rapid discovery of highly potent and selective inhibitors of histone deacetylase 8 using click chemistry to generate candidate libraries.

To find HDAC8-selective inhibitors, we designed a library of HDAC inhibitor candidates, each containing a zinc-binding group that coordinates with the active-site zinc ion, linked via a triazole moiety to a capping structure that interacts with residues on the rim of the active site. These compounds were synthesized by using click chemistry. Screening identified HDAC8-selective inhibitors including C149 (IC(50) = 0.