Two of the most widely studied DNA methylation inhibitors are azacitidine and decitabine. These drugs are nucleoside analogs that get incorporated into DNA during replication. Once incorporated, they form covalent bonds with DNMTs, leading to the degradation of these enzymes and subsequent demethylation of DNA. Both azacitidine and decitabine have been approved by the FDA for the treatment of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and certain types of acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
