Review and prospects of development of traditional Chinese medicine chemical biology.

Traditional Chinese medicine chemical biology(TCMCB), emerging as a pivotal discipline in the 21st century, integrates modern chemical and biological technologies to construct an innovative research system with distinctive features of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM). TCMCB proposes a research strategy that employs active components of TCM as molecular probes to identify direct targets and systematically analyze the complex biological mechanisms. Currently, TCMCB primarily achieves the optimization of active molecule structures in TCM and probe preparation through synthesis chemistry. Utilizing chemical proteomics, this approach facilitates target identification, integrates structural biology to analyze molecular interaction patterns, and combines molecular pharmacology with clinical medicine to validate biological regulatory mechanisms. This forms a methodological system that elucidates the material basis and action patterns of the efficacy of TCM from multiple dimensions. The research results provide molecular-level scientific evidence to clarify the complex and unique mechanisms of action of TCM, effectively promoting the establishment of quality standards, precision medication in traditional Chinese clinical practice, and the modernization and international promotion of TCM. Notably, TCMCB not only advances the modern scientific interpretation of TCM theories but also offers a unique cognitive perspective for modern life sciences through the discovery of new biological targets and modes of action, particularly demonstrating significant advantages in the study of regulatory mechanisms in complex disease systems. This article systematically reviews the research landscape of TCMCB over the past decade, focusing on its methodological role in advancing the modernization of TCM. In the future, TCMCB will prioritize building a technology system with independent intellectual property rights, continuously driving the innovative development of TCM theories and establishing a reference paradigm for life science research and new drug development.