Research progress of N⁶-methyladenine demethylase inhibitors

N⁶-methyladenine (m⁶A) modification, the most abundant and dynamic chemical modification on messenger RNA, plays an essential role in physiological and pathological progress.Recent studies have found that tumor progression can be affected by altering the m⁶A modification level of target genes. Therefore, small molecule targeted m⁶A demethylase can be used as a new anti-tumor strategy.This review focuses on the regulatory mechanism of m⁶A demethylases, including fat mass and obesity-associated protein (FTO) and AlkB homlog 5 (ALKBH5), as well as their biological functions in tumors, and summarizes the research progress of their small molecule inhibitors.