Intramolecular cyclization of N-aryl amides for the synthesis of 3-amino oxindoles

A mild and efficient strategy to synthesize pharmaceutically important 3-amino oxindoles from readily available N-aryl amides has been developed. This unique reaction proceeds via the intramolecular cyclization of 2-azaallyl anions with N-aryl amides to afford 3-amino substituted oxindoles. This novel method avoids the direct usage of transition metal catalysts and additional oxidants. Furthermore, the anti-pulmonary fibrosis activity evaluation showed that 3-amino oxindole 2f significantly inhibited collagen deposition, which can ameliorate pulmonary fibrosis by reducing excessive extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition.