Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic gastrointestinal disease whose incidence has risen worldwide in recent years. Accumulating evidence shows that oxidative stress plays an essential role in the pathogenesis and progression of IBD. This review highlights the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and antioxidant defense mechanisms in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, the involvement of oxidative stress signaling in the initiation and progression of IBD and its relationships with genetic susceptibility and the mucosal immune response. In addition, potential therapeutic strategies for IBD that target oxidative stress signaling are reviewed and discussed. Though substantial progress has been made in understanding the role of oxidative stress in IBD in humans and experimental animals, the underlying mechanisms are still not well defined. Thus, further studies are needed to validate how oxidative stress signaling is involved in and contributes to the development of IBD.

The mammalian or mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway plays a crucial role in regulation of cell survival, metabolism, growth and protein synthesis in response to upstream signals in both normal physiological and pathological conditions, especially in cancer. Aberrant mTOR signaling resulting from genetic alterations from different levels of the signal cascade is commonly observed in various types of cancers. Upon hyperactivation, mTOR signaling promotes cell proliferation and metabolism that contribute to tumor initiation and progression. In addition, mTOR also negatively regulates autophagy via different ways. We discuss mTOR signaling and its key upstream and downstream factors, the specific genetic changes in the mTOR pathway and the inhibitors of mTOR applied as therapeutic strategies in eight solid tumors. Although monotherapy and combination therapy with mTOR inhibitors have been extensively applied in preclinical and clinical trials in various cancer types, innovative therapies with better efficacy and less drug resistance are still in great need, and new biomarkers and deep sequencing technologies will facilitate these mTOR targeting drugs benefit the cancer patients in personalized therapy.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a malignant tumor in the digestive system whose incidence and mortality is high-ranking among tumors worldwide. The initiation and progression of CRC is a complex process involving genetic alterations in cancer cells and multiple factors from the surrounding tumor cell microenvironment. As accumulating evidence has shown, tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs)—as abundant and active infiltrated inflammatory cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME)—play a crucial role in CRC. This review focuses on the different mechanisms of TAM in CRC, including switching of phenotypical subtypes; promoting tumor proliferation, invasion, and migration; facilitating angiogenesis; mediating immunosuppression; regulating metabolism; and interacting with the microbiota. Although controversy remains in clinical evidence regarding the role of TAMs in CRC, clarifying their significance in therapy and the prognosis of CRC may shed new light on the optimization of TAM-centered approaches in clinical care.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a serious public health issue, and it has the leading incidence and mortality among malignant tumors worldwide. CRC patients with metastasis in the liver, lung or other distant sites always have poor prognosis. Thus, there is an urgent need to discover the underlying mechanisms of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) and to develop optimal therapy for mCRC. Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) signaling plays a significant role in various physiologic and pathologic processes, and aberrant TGF-β signal transduction contributes to mCRC progression. In this review, we summarize the alterations of the TGF-β signaling pathway in mCRC patients, the functional mechanisms of TGF-β signaling, its promotion of epithelial–mesenchymal transition, its facilitation of angiogenesis, its suppression of anti-tumor activity of immune cells in the microenvironment and its contribution to stemness of CRC cells. We also discuss the possible applications of TGF-β signaling in mCRC diagnosis, prognosis and targeted therapies in clinical trials. Hopefully, these research advances in TGF-β signaling in mCRC will improve the development of new strategies that can be combined with molecular targeted therapy, immunotherapy and traditional therapies to achieve better efficacy and benefit mCRC patients in the near future.

The mammalian or mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) integrates multiple intracellular and extracellular upstream signals involved in the regulation of anabolic and catabolic processes in cells and plays a key regulatory role in cell growth and metabolism. The activation of the mTOR signaling pathway has been reported to be associated with a wide range of human diseases. A growing number of in vivo and in vitro studies have demonstrated that gut microbes and their complex metabolites can regulate host metabolic and immune responses through the mTOR pathway and result in disorders of host physiological functions. In this review, we summarize the regulatory mechanisms of gut microbes and mTOR in different diseases and discuss the crosstalk between gut microbes and their metabolites and mTOR in disorders in the gastrointestinal tract, liver, heart, and other organs. We also discuss the promising application of multiple potential drugs that can adjust the gut microbiota and mTOR signaling pathways. Despite the limited findings between gut microbes and mTOR, elucidating their relationship may provide new clues for the prevention and treatment of various diseases.

Solar energy, as a clean and renewable energy source, holds significant promise for addressing water shortages. Utilizing solar energy for water evaporation is seen as an effective solution in this regard. While many existing interfacial photothermal water evaporation systems rely on nanoparticles or graphene as photothermal or support materials, this study introduced polydopamine (PDA) as a photothermal material due to its environmental friendliness and excellent photon absorption characteristics that closely match the solar spectrum. Polystyrene (PS) was also introduced as a support material for its porous structure and density similar to water, enabling it to float on water. The resulting PS-PDA composite porous structure solar evaporator exhibited a photothermal conversion efficiency comparable to nanoparticles (over 75%), yet with lower production costs and minimal environmental impact. This innovative approach offers a scalable solution for water-scarce regions, providing a cost-effective and efficient means to address water scarcity. The use of PDA and PS in this context highlights the potential for utilizing common materials in novel ways to meet pressing environmental challenges.