INCB059872 is a highly potent, orally active, selective, and irreversible inhibitor of Lysine-Specific Demethylase 1 (LSD1). Its chemical properties make it suitable for use in researching myeloid leukemia.

NK314 is a novel synthetic benzo[c]phenanthridine alkaloid that shows strong antitumor activity. It inhibited topoisomerase II activity and stabilized topoisomerase II-DNA cleavable complexes. The DNA breaks occurred within 1h after treatment with NK314 even without digestion of topoisomerase II by proteinase K, whereas etoposide required digestion of the enzyme protein in cleavable complex to detect DNA breaks. Pretreatment with topoisomerase II catalytic inhibitors, ICRF-193 and suramin, reduced both cleavable complex-mediated DNA breaks and proteinase K-independent DNA breaks, but protease inhibitors and nuclease inhibitors only decreased the latter.

INCB059872, also known as INCB59872, is a potent, selective, and orally active lysine-specific demethylase 1 inhibitor. INCB059872 binds to and inhibits LSD1, a demethylase that suppresses the expression of target genes by converting the di- and mono-methylated forms of lysine at position 4 of histone H3 (H3K4) to mono- and unmethylated H3K4, respectively, through amine oxidation. LSD1 inhibition enhances H3K4 methylation and increases the expression of tumor-suppressor genes. In addition, LSD1 demethylates mono- or di-methylated H3K9 which increases gene expression of tumor promoting genes; inhibition of LSD1 promotes H3K9 methylation and decreases transcription of these genes.