Asian Journal of Research in Chemistry

ATP synthase is an important enzyme and is an established drug target. The involvement of this enzyme has been attributed to various serious diseases and physiological conditions, such as cancer, obesity, neurodegenerative disorders, etc. It makes it an attractive drug target whose activity may be modulated by small molecules. A variety of inhibitors reported in the literature have been reviewed, and the important O-and Ncontaining heterocyclic scaffolds have been identified and are presented here. On examining the scaffolds, it is observed that a variety of 5-membered ring containing compounds to macrocycles inhibit ATP synthase. These include Flavones and Isoflavons, Catechins, Estrogen metabolites, Polyenic -pyrones, Amphiphilic cationic dyes, Tertiary amine local anesthetics (TALAs), N-sulfonyl tetrahydrobenzodiazepines, N-[1-Aryl-2-(1imidazolo)ethyl]-acylguanidine derivatives, O-[1-Aryl-2-(1-imidazolo)ethyl]-thiourethane derivatives and 4amino benzopyrans.