Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of largazole derivatives: alteration of the zinc-binding domain

A new series of largazole analogues in which the side chain was replaced with disulfide groups were synthesized, and their biological activities were evaluated. Compound 8 bearing an octyl moiety showed much better selectivity for HDAC1 over HDAC7 than largazole (320-fold). Structure-activity relationships suggested that the length in the disulfide chain of largazole is important for the selectivity toward HDAC1 over HDAC7.