Revealing drug targets with multimodal bioorthogonal AMPD probes through visual metabolic labeling

Multimodal bioorthogonal small molecule probes play a pivotal role in drug-focused biomedical research. However, existing drug tracking and imaging techniques face obstacles in living organisms, hindering precise drug localization and target protein capture. Herein, we introduced a multimodal probe named. 1(azidomethyl) pyrene-4,5-dione (AMPD). The probe incorporates adjacent dione structures at the pyrene core. AMPD selectively interacts with oxygen-rich alkene-labeled drug molecules under ice-blue LED light exposure, producing specific fluorescence emission and enabling in vivo tracking and flow cytometry sorting. A methyl azide group was also introduced at the pyrene core to help efficiently enrich target proteins via click chemistry with alkyne-functionalized beads. AMPD demonstrates exceptional biocompatibility, rendering it highly suitable for visual photo-triggered tracking studies. Combined with metabolic labeling using an oxygen-rich alkene-tagged drug molecule probe, AMPD is effective for live animal, tissue, cellular, and in-gel imaging, as well as target protein identification through magnetic capture. With its versatile capabilities, AMPD enhances our comprehension of drug-target interactions at the in vivo level and expedites the process of drug discovery. (c) 2024 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Chinese Chemical Society and Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences.