Myrica rubra Sieb. et Zucc. (Myricaceae), known as Chinese bayberry, is traditionally used as folk medicine in Asian countries. The interaction of Propionibacterium acnes signalling with sebocytes is considered important in the pathogenesis of acne. In the present study, extracts and active compounds of Chinese bayberry were used to determine chemical antioxidant activity and anti-inflammatory effects in P. acnesstimulated human SZ95 sebocytes. A high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection system was used to analyse the phenolic composition of bayberry extracts. Accordingly, the flavonols, myricitrin and myricetin, were found to be abundant in the unhydrolysed and hydrolysed extracts of Chinese bayberry fruits, respectively. The anthocyanin cyanidin-3-glucoside was also predominantly found in the unhydrolysed extracts. Quantification of human inflammatory cytokines indicated that cell-free extracts of P. acnes stimulated IL-8 and IL-6 production, which was inhibited by myricetin, rather than its glycoside or anthocyanin. Myricetin also exhibited inhibitory effects in P. acnes-stimulated gene expression of Toll-like receptor (TLR) 2 and protein phosphorylation of p70 S6 kinase. In conclusion, myricetin shows a suppressive effect on P. acnes-induced cytokine production through regulation of the TLR and mammalian target of rapamycin pathways. Myricetin goes beyond previous research findings to potentially modulate inflammatory signalling in human sebocytes. These results will be valuable in developing anti-inflammatory agents against skin acne.

Applications in near‐infrared (NIR) have been explored significantly in many fields, including bioimaging, night vision, plant growth, and chemical analysis. Different emission profiles are required within the same industry. Developing luminescent materials with different tuning methods is reliable for controlling the NIR regions (NIR‐I, 700–1000 nm; NIR‐II, 1000–1700 nm). Spinel phosphors are promising candidates due to their ability to modulate the crystal field. Understanding the parameters that influence the degree of inversion in spinel compounds is crucial to harness the variability of the spinel structure. Cr3+ and Ni2+ are ideal activators for NIR‐I and NIR‐II emissions, respectively. However, there is a need for phosphors that emit in the NIR‐II region when excited by visible light. Although the energy transfer method combining two activators is considered, this review focuses on different types of spinel structures, discussing their types and common strategies to tune the host structure. The goal is to achieve desired shift and broadness of the entire NIR spectrum, highlighting the importance of spectrum tuning for practical applications.