Overview of the detection methods for equilibrium dissociation constant KD of drug-receptor interaction

Drug-receptor interaction plays an important role in a series of biological effects, such as cell pro-liferation, immune response, tumor metastasis, and drug delivery. Therefore, the research on drug-re-ceptor interaction is growing rapidly. The equilibrium dissociation constant (KD) is the basic parameter to evaluate the binding property of the drug-receptor. Thus, a variety of analytical methods have been established to determine the KD values, including radioligand binding assay, surface plasmon resonance method, fluorescence energy resonance transfer method, affinity chromatography, and isothermal ti-tration calorimetry. With the invention and innovation of new technology and analysis method, there is a deep exploration and comprehension about drug-receptor interaction. This review discusses the differ-ent methods of determining the KD values, and analyzes the applicability and the characteristic of each analytical method. Conclusively, the aim is to provide the guidance for researchers to utilize the most appropriate analytical tool to determine the KD values.