Secondary metabolites from marine organisms are diverse in structure and function. Marine Aspergillus is an important source of bioactive natural products. We reviewed the structures and antimicrobial activities of compounds isolated from different marine Aspergillus over the past two years (January 2021–March 2023). Ninety-eight compounds derived from Aspergillus species were described. The chemical diversity and antimicrobial activities of these metabolites will provide a large number of promising lead compounds for the development of antimicrobial agents.

Candida albicans is an endogenous opportunistic pathogenic fungus that is harmless when the host system remains stable. However, C. albicans could seriously threaten human life and health when the body’s immune function declines or the normal flora is out of balance. Due to the increasing resistance of candidiasis to existing drugs, it is important to find new strategies to help treat this type of systemic fungal disease. Biological control is considered as a promising strategy which is more friendly and safer. In this review, we compare the bacteriostatic behavior of different antagonistic microorganisms (bacteria and fungi) against C. albicans. In addition, natural products with unique structures have attracted researchers’ attention. Therefore, the bioactive nature products produced by different microorganisms and their possible inhibitory mechanisms are also reviewed. The application of biological control strategies and the discovery of new compounds with antifungal activity will reduce the resistance of C. albicans, thereby promoting the development of novel diverse antifungal drugs.

Baijiu, a prevalent alcoholic beverage, boasts over 2000 aroma compounds, with sulfur-containing compounds being the most influential in shaping its flavor. Benzenemethanethiol, a distinctive odorant in baijiu, is known to enhance the holistic flavor profile of baijiu. Despite its importance, there is very little literature on the biotransformation mechanism of benzenemethanethiol. Thus, extensive research efforts have been made to elucidate the formation mechanism of this compound in order to improve baijiu production. In this study, 12 yeast strains capable of generating benzenemethanethiol were isolated from baijiu daqu, and the Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain J14 was selected for further investigation. The fermentation conditions were optimized, and it was found that the optimal conditions for producing benzenemethanethiol were at 28 °C for 24 h with a 4% (v/v) inoculum of 3.025 g/L L-cysteine. This is the first time that yeast has been shown to produce benzenemethanethiol isolated from the baijiu fermentation system. These findings also suggest that benzenemethanethiol can be metabolized by yeast using L-cysteine and benzaldehyde as precursor substrates.

The fungal pathogen Botrytis cinerea causes gray mold disease, with Bcras1 serving as a key virulence factor. However, the role of Bcras1 in the environmental responses and its downstream signaling pathways remains unclear. This study investigated the function of Bcras1 and its regulatory network using gene deletion and transcriptomic analysis. Results showed that Δ Bcras1 mutants exhibited severe defects in conidiation, sclerotia formation, acid production, and virulence, along with increased sensitivity to stress and enhanced melanin production. Transcriptome profiling revealed 2236 downregulated and 2149 upregulated genes in Δ Bcras1 , including decreased expression of conidiation-related genes ( Bcbck1 , Bos5 , and Bcnop53 ), sclerotia-related gene ( Bcatf1 ), and MAPK pathway-related genes ( Bcsak1 , Bcmkk1 , Bcbck1 , and Bcste50 ), as well as altered ROS-related genes and upregulated melanin biosynthesis genes ( Bcsmr1 and Bcscd1 ). Functional characterization of the downregulated MAPK gene Bcste50 showed that it similarly affects growth, development, and virulence. Our results demonstrate that Bcras1 regulates multiple pathways controlling fungal development, virulence, and stress adaptation, with Bcste50 acting as a potential downstream component in this regulatory network.

Inflammatory bowel disease is a chronic and recurrent inflammatory disorder of the gastrointestinal tract, with its incidence continuously increasing worldwide. Currently available clinical therapeutic drugs generally suffer from limitations including poor targeting efficiency, insufficient local drug concentration at lesion sites, and significant toxic side effects, making them inadequate to meet the growing demand for precision therapy. Stimuli-responsive hydrogels, as intelligent delivery carriers, can recognize abnormal signals within the microenvironment of inflammatory bowel disease lesions, such as pH, temperature, reactive oxygen species, and specific enzymes, and undergo swelling, degradation, or phase transition from sol to gel, thereby enabling spatiotemporally controlled drug release and providing new avenues for the precise treatment of inflammatory bowel disease. This review systematically summarizes the response mechanisms and respective advantages of four types of hydrogels based on pH, temperature, reactive oxygen species, and enzyme responsiveness, and further discusses the processing characteristics and key advantages of emulsion methods, electrospray encapsulation, and droplet microfluidics for hydrogel fabrication. Subsequently, the critical roles of these hydrogels in restoring intestinal homeostasis through multiple synergistic mechanisms, including repair of the intestinal mucosal barrier, elimination of excessive reactive oxygen species, regulation of the gut microbiota, and remodeling of the immune microenvironment, are highlighted. Finally, this review discusses the challenges faced by stimuli-responsive hydrogels in clinical translation and provides perspectives on future development directions, including multi-responsive integrated systems, intelligent delivery platforms, and personalized therapy, aiming to provide new insights and strategies for the precision treatment of inflammatory bowel disease.