Histone lysine-specific demethylase
1 (LSD1/KDM1A) has become an
important and promising anticancer target since it was first identified
in 2004 and specially demethylates lysine residues of histone H3K4me1/2
and H3K9me1/2. LSD1 is ubiquitously overexpressed in diverse cancers,
and abrogation of LSD1 results in inhibition of proliferation, invasion,
and migration in cancer cells. Over the past decade, a number of biologically
active small-molecule LSD1 inhibitors have been developed. To date,
six trans-2-phenylcyclopropylamine (TCP)-based LSD1
inhibitors (including TCP, ORY-1001, GSK-2879552, INCB059872, IMG-7289,
and ORY-2001) that covalently bind to the flavin adenine dinucleotide
(FAD) within the LSD1 catalytic cavity have already entered into clinical
trials. Here, we provide an overview about the structures, activities,
and structure–activity relationship (SAR) of TCP-based LSD1
inhibitors that mainly covers the literature from 2008 to date. The
opportunities, challenges, and future research directions in this
emerging and promising field are also discussed.