Decitabine (i.e., 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine), sold under the brand name Dacogen among others, acts as a nucleic acid synthesis inhibitor.

[4] It is a medication for the treatment of myelodysplastic syndromes, a class of conditions where certain blood cells are dysfunctional, and for acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

Methylation of CpG islands upstream of tumor suppressor genes in order to silence them seems to be critical for these type of cancers.

These studies have revealed several mechanosensitive genes, such as HoxA5, Klf3, and Klf4, whose promoters were hypermethylated by disturbed blood flow, but rescued by DNA methyltransferases inhibitors such as 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine.

It has been found that use of this DNA methyltranferase inhibitor prevents atherosclerosis lesion formation and reduces the production of inflammatory cytokines by macrophages.