Untitled

Abstract

Enzyme Alanine racemase is well known for performing the predominating role in mycobacterium cell wall synthesis. D-alanine provided by Alanine racemase serves as a peptidoglycan precursor, utterly vital for maintaining the growth and integrity of the cell wall. The lipid-rich mycobacterium cell wall is prevalent amidst prokaryotes with immense potential of becoming a therapeutic target for new drug discovery. The imperative role of Alanine racemase in mycobacterium cell wall synthesis implies that its inhibition is of utmost priority in dealing with various pathogenic infections. Interference with metabolic processes, lack of specificity, and cellular toxicity caused by several known inhibitors prompted renewed efforts by researchers to discover new and improved inhibitors with better therapeutic indexes. This paper provides an overview of the updated status of reported Alanine racemase inhibitors based on shreds of evidence in literature so that more precise inhibitors could be explored, designed, and identified to rationalize the overall drug discovery process, which will be true serendipity for the mankind.