ABSTRACT
Epilepsy is a common nervous system disorder characterized by repeated attacks and a protracted course， which can cause great harms to the physical and mental health of patients. Antiepileptic drugs have been proved effective， but the resulting toxic and side effects cannot be ignored. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） has a long history of dealing with epilepsy. At present， in addition to enriching the cognitive theory of epilepsy treatment with TCM， we have also focused on the role of TCM in regulating the epilepsy-related signaling pathways from the perspective of molecular biology. The review of literature in China and abroad has uncovered that epilepsy is closely related to such pathophysiological processes as cell proliferation， apoptosis， autophagy， inflammatory response， and immune response. At the same time， the modern research of Chinese and western medicines shows that the efficacy of Chinese herbal monomers， single Chinese herbs or Chinese herbal compounds in treating epilepsy is directly or indirectly related to their regulation of signaling pathways. To be specific， they control epileptic seizures and alleviate epileptic brain injury by regulating the expression of key molecules in corresponding signaling pathways. This paper summarized the research progress in China and abroad as follows： ①Tangeretin and ginkgolide B inhibit apoptosis and oxidative stress by activating the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B （Akt） signaling pathway. ②Baicalin and osthol suppress autophagy by inhibiting the mammalian target of rapamycin （mTOR） signaling pathway. ③Ganoderan and astragaloside reduce apoptosis by inhibiting the mitogen-activated protein kinase （MAPK） signaling pathway. ④Salidroside and resveratrol reverse oxidative stress and apoptosis by activating the nuclear factor E2-related factor 2/antioxidant reaction element/heme oxygenase 1 （Nrf2/ARE/HO-1） signaling pathway. ⑤Curcumin and baicalin diminish inflammatory response and apoptosis by inhibiting the nuclear transcriptional factor-κB （NF-κB） signaling pathway. The above summary is expected to provide reference for the in-depth study and clinical application of TCM for the treatment of epilepsy.