Design, Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation of a Novel Series of Pirfenidone Derivatives

In this study, a series of novel pirfenidone derivatives were designed and synthesized, and their activities against pulmonary fibrosis were evaluated. The structures of all the derivatives were characterized by 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance and high-resolution mass spectrometry spectra. A preliminary investigation of their bioactivity demonstrated that all the target compounds exhibited different degrees of activity against pulmonary fibrosis and that the activities of most derivatives were markedly superior to that of pirfenidone.