Seaweed polysaccharide is an important active substance in seaweed with good gel property, stability, and film-forming properties. It possesses various biological activities such as anti-virus, anti-tumor, immune regulation, anti-oxidation, and is widely used in food, health care and cosmetics. This article reviews recent advances on biological activities of seaweed polysaccharides, with a view to better development and utilization of seaweed polysaccharides, and promoting the sustainable and healthy development of the seaweed polysaccharide industry.

Kavalactones, mainly found in Piper methysticum, are a class of lactone compounds usually with an arylethylene-pyrone skeleton. Till now, fifty-one kavalactones have been isolated from the genera Piper, Alpinia, Amomum, Polygala, Goniothalamus, and Dumortiera. The bioactivities of six kavalactones, kawain, 7,8-dihydro- kawain, methysticin, dihydromethysticin, yangonin, and desmethoxyyagonin, have been studied extensively. This review aims to give an overview of kavalactones in the plants and their various bioactivities.

Bioactive components of marine species have received great attention in recent years, especially phlorotannins isolated from brown algae. This paper summarized progress in the structures and bioactivities of phlorotannins including antibacterial, antioxidant, anticoagulant, anti-diabetic, anti-hypertensive, inhibiting HIV, anti-tumor, anti-allergic, anti-inflammatory, defense activity, and deodorant activities.

Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework-8 (ZIF-8) is a type of typical metal organic framework (MOF), which is an emerging porous coordination polymers that is bridged by zinc metal ions and organic linkages. Due to its intrinsic porous characteristics, unique pH sensitivity as well as superior drug loading efficiency, zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 has attracted extensive attention and received a wide range of applications in the field of biomedicine. In this review, we briefly discuss the effective delivery and controlled release of various drugs in ZIF-8, such as functional proteins, hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs. Understanding the processes of various drugs loading is important for developing new drug delivery systems. In addition, we also explored the cooperation mechanism between ZIF and different materials. The combination of chemotherapy, photodynamic therapy, photothermal therapy and medical imaging have been applied in the field of nanomedicine and have made emarkable achievements.

Althaea officinalis (Malvaceae), mainly distributed in Europe and China, is an ornamental, edible and medicinal plant, which is effective in reducing cough and phlegm. To better develop and utilize A. officinalis, 46 kinds of compounds including flavonoids, phenolic acids, steroids, coumarins and other types isolated from this plant are summarized, and their pharmacological effects such as anti-tussive, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidation, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal activities are discussed in this review.

Coffea arabica L. is a famous specie in genus caffee for medicinal treatment and diet with wide distribution and rich resources. It contains rich alkaloids, flavonoids and terpenes, which exhibited antioxidation, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, antidiabetic, live protection, and neuroprotective activities. Herein, we summarized the progress in the chemical constituents and bioactivities of C. arabica L. to provide ideas for medicinal development prospects of C. arabica L.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a multi-drug resistant pathogenic bacteria, which has seriously threatened human health for a long time. Therefore, there is an urgent and unmet demand for new types of antibiotics. In response to the antibiotic resistance, many researchers have studied natural products derived from plant for alternative antibiotics and therapies. In this review, we summarized recent advances on anti-MRSA natural products from plants and their potential antibacterial effect against MRSA as potential anti-MRSA agents since 2007.

Stilbenoids, usually found in Leguminosae, are a class of compounds with the skeleton of stilbene or their polymers, existing mostly in the xylem of plants. Till now, one hundred and seventy-six stilbenoids have been isolated from plants of Leguminosae. Herein, stilbene compounds and their derivatives in Leguminosae and their biological activities including anti-neoplastic, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammation are reviewed.

There are about 1000 species in the genus Ficus and many can be used for medicinal purpose. The medicinal plants of this genus mainly contain terpenoids, flavonoids, alkaloids, and coumarins. In this paper, we summarized flavonoids isolated from the genus Ficus and their pharmacological effects including anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, antioxidant, antiviral, protective activities on the cardiovascular system and other activities.

Phenolic compounds are widely used in natural plant foods and have strong antioxidant properties, so they are widely used in food and medicine. The reaction between the phenolic compound and the protein can affect the functional properties of the protein, such as emulsifying properties, gel properties, solubility, thermal stability, and foaming properties. The mechanism of interaction between phenolic compounds and proteins are described from the aspects of non-covalent interaction and covalent interaction, and the characterization methods of the interaction mechanism between phenolic compounds and proteins are described. The indexes for characterizing the covalent bonding of phenolic compounds and proteins include the free amino group content, total sulfhydryl content, tryptophan content. Ninhydrin method, 2,4,6-trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS) method, o-phthal- aldehyde (OPA) method and high-performance liquid phase chromatography were applied to o measure the free amino group content. Ellman’s method was applied to investigate total sulfhydryl content. Fluorescence measurements can be used for changes in tryptophan modification. The indexes for characterizing the con-covalent bonding of phenolic compounds and proteins include hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic interactions, disulfide bonds and hydrophobicity of protein surface. Hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic interactions and disulfide bonds can be investigated by Gómez-Guillén’s method. ANS fluorescent probe method was applied to measure the changes of hydrophobicity of protein surface.

The aim of this study was to investigate the benefits of incorporation of graphene oxide-silica (GO@SiO₂) on the degree of conversion and bond strength of an experimental dental adhesive. The GO@SiO₂ nanocomposites were prepared and characterized by using FTIR, Raman and TEM. After that, GO@SiO₂ was added into an experimental dental bonding system as novel nanofiller, and the effect of the modification on the dispersion stability of the GO@SiO₂ nanocomposites in the experimental adhesive was studied. In addition, the degree of conversion was characterized by real-time FTIR, and the light conversion kinetic curves were calculated. Furthermore, the bond strength of the experimental adhesive to dental restorative resin was investigated. The result showed that the GO@SiO₂ nanocomposites dispersed well in the experimental adhesive, and the introduction of GO@SiO₂ improved effectively the degree of conversion of the dental adhesive after curing. In addition, the experimental adhesive filled with GO@SiO₂ nanocomposites showed not only similar bond strength to a commercial adhesive, but also enhanced dramatically compressive strength as well. Furthermore, the obtained experimental dental adhesives can increase reactive oxygen species level in cells through photothermal conversion to be used in potential therapy.

Thrombosis owns the highest incidence, and it is a serious threat to human health. Currently, the clinical antithrombotic drugs suffer from several drawbacks, causing allergic reactions or complications, etc. In recent years, small-molecule compounds isolated from natural products with antithrombotic activities in the field drug research on thrombus disease. In this review, we will focus on representative naturally occurring small molecule phenols with antithrombotic potency and potential for future therapeutic regimens to combat thrombosis disease.

Augmented reality is a technology-based on an interaction between the virtual and real-world, mixing them and expanding their possibilities. This technology is currently used in the most varied areas of human knowledge. The use of augmented reality in drug package has excellent potential in several diseases and could be an indispensable tool, especially in diseases with low medication adherence. In this context, its application in tuberculosis treatment could be of great help, as this treatment presents two major issues: the long-term treatment time (six months) and its severe side effects resulting in its non-adherence to the treatment. In this article, we aim to address the problems related to tuberculosis treatment causing non-adherence by using augmented reality. Using a smartphone in the medicine packaging could gain valuable information making patients be aware of following the treatment until the end.

Thrombus is a severe health problem all over the world, especially in developing countries. However, there is still no satisfactory antithrombotic therapeutic strategy. Currently, the clinical antithrombotic drugs suffer from several drawbacks such as high rate of bleedings and short half-life, causing allergic reactions or complications, etc. In recent years, small-molecule compounds isolated from natural products with antithrombotic activities become a hot issue in the field of drug research. In this review, we will focus on representative naturally occurring small molecule flavonoids with antithrombotic potency and potential for future therapeutic regimens to combat thrombosis disease.

The skin barrier is regulated by the stratum corneum and the tight junction located at the lamellar layer. Skin barrier can maintain the body’s moisture, prevent pathogens and allergens. Atopic dermatitis is caused by changes in the skin barrier associating with skin coloring. The main function of filaggrin is to maintain skin moisture. The level of filaggrin and its degradation products is affected not only by the genotype of filaggrin, but also by the inflammatory and exogenous stress factors. Regardless of the state of mutations in the filamentous protein, filaggrin deficiency was observed in patients with atopic dermatitis, indicating that the removal of polyphenol was a key factor in the pathogenesis of the skin disease. In this paper, we reviewed the function and morphological effects of filaggrin and its metabolites in the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis. Filaggrin is considered as one of the most important proteins in the skin barrier.

A lot ofindole compounds possessing complex structures exist widely in alkaloids with enormous research significance. Specifically, bisindoles play a great role in the treatment of cancer, tumors, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Many researchers are devoted to their biosynthesis. The structural diversity of bisindoles is attributed to multiple active sites of tryptophan. They presented bioactivities against anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-virus and anti-cancer properties at the C-3 site of bisindoles. This paper reviews recent advances on biosynthesis pathways and bioactivites of bisindoles.

Hydroxychloroquine, a known antiviral metabolite of chloroquine, is increasingly used along with antibiotic azithromycin for the treatment of COVID-19 infection. In about one month, India, the world’s largest manufacturer, delivered the pharmaceutical ingredient for treating COVID-19 to over 50 countries. Coupled to azithromycin, the therapy is being used across the world both for patients staying at home at the early phase of symptoms, as well as for patients hospitalized. We summarize achievements as of late April 2020, review possible modes of action and suggest avenues for the quick scale-up of production of hydroxychloroquine.

Thrombosis is a serious disease of human health and life. Microorganism is an important source of fibrinolytic enzymes. The mechanism of action that it must combine with plasminogen to activate plasminogen of streptokinase is described. Herein, we summarize species characteristics and thrombolytic effects of fibrinolytic enzymes that are secreted from bacteria, actinomycetes and fungi. In recent years, more and more marine plasmin were found and used in thrombolytic test, displaying good fibrinolysis and thrombolysis.

Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) has become one of the most common infectious diseases in mainland China, with annual incidence rate up to 100 per 100,000. We analyzed data reported to surveillance systems at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention and described the epidemiological features of HFMD by age, seasonal, and geographic distribution from 2011 to 2012. The annual incidence rates of 2011 and 2012 were 120.8 and 161.0 per 100,000, respectively. Most HFMD cases (approximately 90%) were aged within 0-4 years old, while older children and adults were rarely affected. Seasonal variation in incidence was observed, with an incidence peak observed during May and June. The southeastern coastal areas of China display highest incidence rates of HFMD. HFMD is a common infectious disease in China and it has emerged as an important public concern causing extensive transmission in young children.

Bulleyaconitine A, a C19-diterpenoid alkaloid extracted from Aconitum bulleyanum Diels, showed various bioactivities, including anti-inflammatory, antinociceptivity, immunomodulatory effects as well as some toxicities. This paper reviewed the bioactivities of Bulleyaconitine A and the relevant mechanisms, toxicities, as well as the metabolism.

Chitosan is a kind of amino polysaccharide biopolymer with good film-forming, biocompatibility, biodegradability, bacteriostasis and nontoxic, obtained from the deacetylation of chitin, which contains abundant active amino and hydroxyl groups. With creative properties, functions and various applications especially in the biomedical field, chitosan is mainly used as pharmaceutical membrane, gel, microsphere (microcapsule), nanoparticle, drug and gene delivery, etc. This minireview provides an overview on the structure and properties of chitosan, the applications of chitosan biomaterials is introduced, and its research and development in the biomedical field are prospected.

Lindera glauca is a folk medicine with rich resources in China. Previous phytochemical studies on L. glauca have resulted in the isolation and identification of the main chemical constituents such as alkaloids, sitosterol, flavonoids, sesquiterpenes, and lignans, as well as essential oil, with antimicrobial, antitumor activity and other pharmacological effects. In this paper, the chemical compositions and pharmacological effects of L. glauca were summaried.

Rhodotorula benthica is a unicellular yeast strain and presents widely in ocean with rich compositions of proteins, carotenoids, vitamins, digestive enzymes, and other biologically active substances. It has been applied in many fields including food, feed, medicine, and water industry. Rhodotorula species grow rapidly at 30 ℃ with coral pink, smooth, and moist to mucoid fettle, while the growth at 37 ℃ is variable. Rhodotorula species are strict aerobic yeasts with peculiarly metabolic characteristics. Rhodotorula produces urease and it has the inability to assimilate inositol and ferment sugars. Moreover, it is well known as a good source of carotenoids, proteins, essential amino-acids, digestive enzymes, lipids and vitamins. Rhodotorula benthica possesses a broad utilization prospect based on its metabolites, structures and bioactivities. This review summarizes some advances on the types, structures, and biological applications of the isolates from Rhodotorula glutinis.

Eucalyptus globulus ( E. globulus) is a tall timber tree of genus Eucalyptus (Myrtaceae), and it is mainly distributed in the southern and southwestern China. The dry fruits of E. globulus, called as ‘Yi-Kou-Zhong’ in Chinese, have been commonly used as a traditional Chinese medicine to treat in flammation, eczema, and influenza. Herein, we summarized the chemical constituents and bioactivities of the Eucalyptus globulus.

Percutaneous penetration enhancers can regulate the transdermal absorption of drugs. Generally speaking, it can be divided into two categories: chemical synthesis and natural sources. Natural percutaneous penetration enhancers have the advantages of safety and mildness. This review summarizes the mechanism and characteristics of three kinds of percutaneous penetration enhancers and their combined application in transdermal drug delivery systems. The three different types of percutaneous penetration enhancers are fatty acids, alkaloids and terpenes. It is expected to provide considerations for the application research of percutaneous penetration enhancers rich in traditional Chinese medicines in transdermal drug delivery systems.

The appropriate delivery system is necessary for insoluble bioactive substances with poor water solubility, instability and low bioavaiability. The delivery system is key to improve its application characteristics. In terms of improving bioavailability of insoluble substances, emulsions have great advantages over other delivery systems. In this paper, the present researches on emulsion carrier systems of insoluble substances are reviewed including carotenoids, anthraquinones, diketone compounds, flavonoids, etc. At the same time, a summary on the development of insoluble substances food and drugs is presented, which is beneficial to the improvement of the research technology in this field.

Triterpenoids exist commonly in the genus Ficus. Till now, ninety-seven triterpenes have been isolated from the genus Ficus. The bioactivities of five triterpenes including maslinic acid, oleanolic acid, lupeol, betulinic acid and ursolic acid have been studied extensively. Herein, we provide an overview of triterpenes in the genus Ficus and their various bioactivities.

In this paper, the extraction conditions of water-soluble polysaccharide from Bletilla striata were optimized by response surface methodology. With the dried Bletilla striata as raw materials, phenol-sulfuric acid method as the method of polysaccharide extraction rate, polysaccharide extraction rate as an indicator, the optimum process conditions for polysaccharide extraction from Bletilla striata were obtained including liquid-solid ratio of 15 mg/mL, extraction temperature 90 °C, extraction time of 90 h, sample immersion time 90 min, and extraction 2 times, achieving the corresponding polysaccharide yield of 48.38%. The antioxidant assays in vitro revealed that the polysaccharides from Bletilla striata exhibited a slight scavenging activity for 1,1-diphenyl-2- picrylhydrazyl radicals and 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) radical cations.

Osteoarthritis has been a common disease among elderly people, but there is not a solution clinically efficient for osteoarthritis. Therefore, tissue engineering has been developed in the field of cartilage regeneration. Tissue engineering has three basic elements: cell, scaffold and growth factor. An injectable scaffold, which can form a gel with original liquid form at the site of defect by injection, is an emerging scaffold for cartilage engineering. A scaffold can be composed of many materials such as natural materials, synthetic materials, composite materials, as well as hybrid materials. This paper reviews natural materials for cartilage regeneration.

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) results from the acute occlusion of a coronary artery, most initiated by the rupture of a thin-cap fibro atheroma with subsequent formation of the occlusive thrombus at the rupture site. Its general symptom is chest pain with a sensation of tightness, pressure, or squeezing. AMI can be divided into NSTEMI and STEMI according to ECG. ST-segment elevation always accompanies with AMI in a severe mortality from 4% to 12%. European Society Of Cardiology (ESC) has recommended that percutaneous transluminal coronary intervention (PCI) is the preferred strategy to realize revascularization for STEMI patients, however, it is often hampered by incomplete microvascular myocardial reperfusion owing to distal embolization of thrombus. Time of door-to-balloon is another key limitation of rapid reperfusion. To address this problem, pharmacologic agents are increasingly used to emergent treat STEMI since their abilities to achieve rapid reperfusion within 12 h of symptom onset. According to the mechanism of thrombogenesis in the coronary artery, antiplatelet drugs and thrombolysis drugs have been widely applied in clinical therapy aiming to impede thrombosis and facilitating fibrinolysis. Antithrombotic drugs including aspirin, clopidogrel, prasugrel and ticagrelor have been successfully applied in clinical practice. Fibrinolytic drugs such as streptokinase (first-generation), tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) and its recombinant forms (alteplase, reteplase as second-generation, and tenecteplase as third-generation) are also used to treat STEMI. However, side effects such as hematencephalon and non-specificity remains still to be solved. Expanding thrombolytic agents from biological sources for providing safety and efficacy for fibrinolytic drugs is a persistence goal for scientists. Several natural precursors with fibrinolytic function are step into the stage of clinical trials including alfimeprase, desmoteplase, lumbrokinase, etc. For the further study, high-specific thrombolytic agents with a longer plasma half-life to meet clinical needs are expected to be designed by combining the advantages of existing thrombolytic enzyme with molecular biology techniques. Restraining of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 is another innovative hot-spot for developing fibrinolytic agent.

Diterpenoids are important chemical constituents isolated from the genus Illicium, which possess many pharmacological effects such as anti-inflammatory, antiviral activities, cytotoxicity, and so on. Up to now, 68 diterpenoids have been isolated from the genus Illicium, and they are classified as abietane-type, pimarane-type and podocarpane-type. In this paper, the chemical constituents and bioactivities of the diterpenoids from the genus Illicium are reviewed.

Citrus medica L. var. sarcodactylis Swingle is known as Foshou fruit that can be used as Chinese medicinal materials and has a health and longevity effect. In recent years, investigations about the chemical compounds of Citrus medica L. var. sarcodactylis Swingle have shown that its main compounds include flavonoids, essential oils, coumarins, and polysaccharides, with anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant activity, effect on the autonomic nervous system, and other pharmacological effects. In this paper, the chemical compositions and pharmacological effects of Citrus medica L. var. sarcodactylis Swingle are summarized.

Cynanchum paniculatum (Xuchangqing) is a famous traditional Chinese herb (TCH) widely used for treating rheumatism and pains in China. C ₂₁ steroids and acetophenones are the characteristic constituents in this TCH, from which a total of 61 compounds have been reported involving 32 C ₂₁ steroids, 13 phenols, seven triterpenoids and nine other compounds. Biological investigation on this herb revealed the anti-inflammatory, anti-snake venom, anti-microbial, neuroprotective and anti-cancer properties of the pure compounds or crude extracts. This minireview summarized the phytochemical and biological progress of C. paniculatum to provide a reference for better understanding the effective substances of Xuchangqing.

The walnut kernel has appeared on dining tables as a non-staple food and gained much popularity for centuries owing to its flavor as well as the function of food therapy, while the green husk or hard shells enwrapped are always discarded or processed into low value-added products. The waste of walnut green husk and shell can cause environment pollution and the waste of resources. As medicinal food, lots of researches on walnut have been carried out during the past decades, including the walnut kernel, the green husk and the hard shell. The researches on the green husk and hard shell showed the mass of chemical compounds isolated from both green husk and hard shell possesses various bioactivities such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, antitumor, and other effects. In this paper, we summarized phytochemical compositions of green husk and hard shell of walnut (Junglans regia) as well as their bioactivities.

Genus Daldinia is a unique source of natural products, which possess many pharmacological effects such as antibacterial activity, cytotoxicity, antioxidant activity, α-glucosidase inhibitory activity, and so on. Recently, most studies of genus Daldinia were focused on D.eschscholzii, D.concentrica and D.sp. This paper covers nearly a decade of research on Daldinia, focusing on the chemical structures and related biological activities of the secondary metabolites produced.