Since epigenetic alterations are believed to be involved in the repression of tumor suppressor genes andpromotion of tumorigenesis in cervical cancers, novel compounds endowed with a histone deacetylase (HDAC)inhibitory activity are an attractive therapeutic approach. In this review, we discuss the biologic and therapeuticeffects of HDAC inhibitors (HDACIs) in treating cervical cancer. HDACIs were able to mediate inhibition ofcell growth, cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, and the expression of genes related to the malignant phenotype in avariety of cervical cancer cell lines. Furthermore, HDACIs were able to induce the accumulation of acetylatedhistones in the chromatin of the p21WAF1 gene in human cervical carcinoma cells. In xenograft models, someHDACIs have demonstrated antitumor activity with only few side effects. Some clinical trials demonstrate thatHDACI drugs provide an important class of new mechanism-based therapeutics for cervical cancer. In thisreview, we discuss the biologic and therapeutic effects of HDACIs in treating cervical cancer, especially focusingon preclinical studies and clinical trials.
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