Targeting InhA in Mycobacterium Tuberculosis: Recent Advances and Novel Scaffolds

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major global health concern, especially with the rise of drug-resistant strains. The InhA enzyme, which is essential for the cell wall formation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, has become an important target for new drug discovery. In this review, studies from the last few years are summarized, focusing on about 26 newly developed InhA inhibitors. These compounds feature a variety of effective ring systems— including imidazoquinolines, coumarin-thiazoles, pyrrole-pyrimidines, thienopyridinones, oxadiazoles, and molecular hybrids— that play a key role in their antimycobacterial activity. Among them, three molecules 5a, NITD-916, and 3g showed the strongest activity, with the lowest MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration) Value. These findings highlight the progress made in recent years and point to new promising leads for the development of future anti- tubercular agents.