A series of novel 2-pyridone derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for their antihepatitis B virus (HBV) activity and cytotoxicity in vitro. Moderate to good activity against HBV DNA replication was observed in these 2-pyridone analogues. The most active compounds were 5d and 6l, with good inhibitory activity against HBV DNA replication (IC50= 0.206 and 0.12 μM, respectively) and remarkable high selectivity (selectivity indexes of> ...