A series of hydroxamate based HDAC inhibitors containing
a phenylisoxazole as the CAP group has been synthesized using nitrile
oxide cycloaddition chemistry. An HDAC6 selective inhibitor having
a potency of ∼2 picomolar was identified. Some of the compounds
were examined for their ability to block pancreatic cancer cell growth
and found to be about 10-fold more potent than SAHA. This research
provides valuable, new molecular probes for use in exploring HDAC
biology