Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors are considered to be drugs for targeted cancer therapy and second-generation HDIs are currently being tested in clinical trials. Here, we report on the synthesis and biologicalevaluation of a novel HDAC inhibitor scaffold with the hydroxamate Zn
2+ complexing headgroup, selectedfrom the 2-aroylindol motif. Inhibition of nuclear extract HDAC and recombinant HDAC 1 as well asinduction of histone H3K
9+14 hyperacetylation mediated by
E-
N-hydroxy-(2-aroylindole)acrylamides or
E-
N-hydroxy-(2-aroylbenzofuran)acrylamides were studied. Moreover, the cytotoxic activity, the effects on thecell cycle, and histone H3S
10 phosphorylation of selected compounds were determined. By use of a panelof 24 different human tumor cell lines, mean IC
50 values of the most potent analogues
6c and
7b were 0.75and 0.65
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M, respectively. The novel compounds were shown to be no substrates of the P-glycoproteindrug transporter. Comparable to
N1-hydroxy-
N8-phenyloctanediamide "
2 (SAHA)", cells in the S phase ofthe cell cycle are depleted, with partial arrest in G1 and G2/M and finally induction of massive apoptosis.