Necroptosis is a regulated caspase-independent cell death mechanism characterized by morphological features resembling non-regulated necrosis. Necrotatin-7 (Nec-7), a novel potent small-molecule inhibitor of necroptosis, is structurally distinct from previously described necrostatins (Nec-1, Nec-3, Nec-4 and Nec-5). Here, we describe a series of structural modifications and the structure-activity relationship (SAR) of the Nec-7 series for inhibiting necroptosis.