Recent developments in the utilization of pyridones as privileged scaffolds in drug discovery

Pyridones have been reported to exhibit a wide range of bioactivities by regulating critical signaling pathways that have a diverse influence on downstream gene expression, intracellular enzyme activity and cytoskeletal configuration. They are consequently used as privileged fragments in the design of biologically active molecules with promising application value in pharmaceutical chemistry. Further investigation will be required to enhance drug-like properties. Continuous progress in structure optimization and clinical trial results will help to provide a guideline for future drug candidate discovery.