STAT3 and colitis: They can also regulate inflammation by inhibiting the TLR4/NF-κB pathway (e.g., lactic acid promotes macrophage M2 polarization to block the “inflammation-barrier damage” vicious cycle (236, 237)) and regulating the STAT3 pathway (e.g., 2’-fucosyllactose (2’-FL) inhibits STAT3 phosphorylation to alleviate colitis (238)).