Advances in the synthesis of low bandgap (E _g < 1.5 eV) conjugated polymers has produced organic materials capable of absorbing near-infrared (NIR) light (800—2500 nm), with these materials first applied to photodiode NIR detectors in 2007 as an alternative to more traditional inorganic devices. Although the development of organic NIR photodetectors has continued to advance, their ability to effectively detect wavelengths in the low-energy portion of the NIR spectrum is still limited. Efforts to date concerning the production of photo-diode-based devices capable of detecting light beyond 1000 nm are reviewed.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

^{Nicotiana tabacum} L., well known as tobacco, could be not only used for raw materials of producing cigarettes, but also as a folk Chinese herbal medicine. This paper offers a systematic review of newly reported compounds from N. tabacum over the past four years covering the literatures from the beginning of 2017 through the end of 2020 and describes their structural diversities and bioactivities. A total of 46 natural compounds and 42 references were updated and compiles in this review, which may be of interest to pharmacognosists and natural products chemists.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Fifteen compounds, including 11 flavonoids, 2 phenylethanoids and 2 phenylpropanoids, were isolated from the roots of Rhodiola rosea L. Among them, quercetin ( 1) and quercetin-3- O-β-D-glucoside ( 2) were afforded from the genus Rhodiola for the first time. All isolates were evaluated for their agitating activities on receptor 5-HT _2A and four compounds ( 12— 15) showed obvious agitating activities, which were probably the main lipid-lowering active components of R. rosea L.

In our early screening process, songorine isolated from Aconitum brachypodum diels possessed prominent activity of inhibiting class B G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). For further study, a series of ester and carbonyl derivatives were synthesized and their potential inhibitory activities on class B GPCRs were also assayed by the Double Antibody Sandwich ELISA (DAS-ELISA) in vitro. Moreover, the structure-activity relationships (SARs) of songorine derivatives were discussed in detail. In this paper, the story behind this study was described.

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.

FlosPopuli is a dry male inflorescence of Populus tomentosa., Populus canadensis. Some researches show that FlosPopuli contains rich flavonoids and phenolic glycosides, which have antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and anti-viral effects. In order to systematically understand the chemical compositions and biological activities of FlosPopuli and lay the foundation for subsequent research, this article reviews the two above aspects. Fifty-three kinds of flavonoids, phenol glycosides and others were isolated from FlosPopuli; moreover, their antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and hypolipidemic effects were investigated.

Ixeris sonchifoia (Bge.) Hance is a famous traditional Chinese herb (TCH) for medicinal treatment and diet with wide distribution and rich resources. Flavonoids, triterpenoids and sesquiterpene lactones are the characteristic constituents of this TCH. Biological investigation on I. sonchifoia revealed the remarkable pharmacological activities of this herb for the treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. This review summarized the phytochemical and biological progress of I. sonchifoia to provide a reference for further research and development of this TCH.