Label-free target discovery technology of small molecule drug and its application in traditional Chinese medicines

The discovery of drug targets plays a crucial role in drug research. Accurate information of small molecule drug-protein interaction can be provided by label-free target discovery technology without any structural modification at the small molecule. So, the label-free drug target discovery technology had become the powerful tool to discover the targets of drugs. Due to the "multi-component and multi-target" characteristics of traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs), the research on its targets and mechanism had been restricted. Based on potential of the label-free target discovery technology in the research of TCMs, this paper summarized the label-free target discovery technology and its application in TCMs research. It will provide a reference for the discovery of targets of TCMs and a new view for promoting the modernization of TCMs.