A novel facile synthesis led to pyridine-2-one target structures of which first series with varying substituents have been yielded and biologically characterized as novel multidrug resistance (MDR) modulators inhibiting P-glycoprotein (P-gp). Structure-activity relationships prove a dependency of the MDR-modulating properties from the kind and positioning of hydrogen bond acceptor functions within the molecular skeleton. Cyano functions turned out as biologically effective substituents for a potential hydrogen bonding to the protein target structure.