The NO-donor histone deacetylase inhibitor 2, formally obtained by joining Entinostat 1, a moderately selective Class I histone deacetylases (HDACs) inhibitor, to a 4-(methylaminomethyl)furoxan-3-carbonitrile scaffold, is described and its preliminary biological profile discussed. This hybrid regulates Classes I and II HDACs. Nitric oxide (NO) released by the compound activates soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC), causing Class II nuclear shuttling and chromatin modifications, with consequences on gene expression. The hybrid affects a number of micro-RNAs not modulated by its individual components; it promotes myogenic differentiation, inducing the formation of larger myotubes with significantly more nuclei per fiber, in a more efficient manner than the 1:1 mixture of its two components. The hybrid is an example of a new class of NO-donor HDACs now being developed, which should be of interest for treating a number of diseases. KEYWORDS: HDAC, histone deacetylase inhibitors, NO-donor, multitarget drugs, epigenetics H istone deacetylases (HDACs) are a family of epigenetic enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis of acetylated ε-amino groups of Lys in H3 and H4 histone tails. 1 Removal of the acetyl groups restores the positive charge of Lys residues, enabling them to interact with the negative phosphate groups of DNA, with consequent chromatin tightness and transcriptional repression. 2 The converse occurs under the action of another family of enzymes, the histone acetyltransferases (HATs), which catalyze the transfer of acetyl groups from acetyl-CoA to lysine residues in H3 and H4 histone tails inducing DNA unwinding and chromatin decondensation, with potential transcriptional activation.Human HDACs are a family of 18 enzymes grouped into four classes (I, II, III, and IV). 3 Class III HDACs, also known as "sirtuins", are NAD-dependent deacetylase enzymes, whereas Classes I, II, and IV are zinc-dependent metalloproteins. Class I HDACs comprise HDAC1, 2, 3, and 8, which have conserved structure and similar functions, but rather different distributions: HDAC1 and 2 are mostly nuclear, while HDAC3 and HDAC8 are tissue-specific and present either in the nuclear or in the cytoplasmatic compartments. 1,3−5 Class II HDACs are more structurally complex, and their functions are not yet clear. Class II is further divided into subclasses IIa (HDAC4, 5, 7, and 9) and IIb (HDAC6 and 10). The members of Class II are localized in the cytosol when they are phosphorylated, whereas their dephosphorylation enables them to translocate into the nucleus (nuclear shuttling) with consequent histone deacetylation and gene repression. 6 HDAC11, a poorly characterized enzyme, is the sole member of class IV and is primarily nuclear. Lastly, the members of Class III (the sirtuins) show no homology with the other classes and preferentially deacetylate nonhistone substrates. 7 Nitric oxide (NO) is a well-known gaseous molecule that plays very important roles in mammalian physiology and pathophysiology. In the cardiovascular system, NO contrib...