Exploring the potential intracellular targets of vascular normalization based on active candidates

Abstract We previously developed two candidates with potency of inducing vascular normalization, BD7 and B14. However, the definite intracellular molecular target(s) responsible for their activity remains unknown. Herein, we report the discovery and functional assessment of several multifunctional photoaffinity probes for determining the potential biological targets of active compounds. The probes bear a photoaffinity moiety and a bioorthogonal unit attached to B7 or B14 and maintained the bioactivity of the parent active molecules. Using in vitro biological assays, we preliminarily identified VEGFR-2 as a potential intracellular target for the active candidates. Our results demonstrate the utility of these multifunctional photoaffinity probes for analyzing the biological activity and subcellular localization of the intracellular target proteins of active candidates.