ABSTRACT
Rotavirus enteritis （RVE）， a common infectious disease of the digestive system， is commonly found in infants and young children. Its incidence is high， posing great threats to human health. At present， no specific drugs are available in western medicine and the symptomatic treatments like fluid infusion， anti-diarrhea， correction of electrolyte disorder， protection of gastrointestinal mucosa， and regulation of intestinal microecology have been employed. In addition to the poor therapeutic efficacy， they do not perform well in preventing the onset of RVE and shortening the course of disease. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） exerts the therapeutic effect against RVE via multiple targets， without inducing obvious adverse reactions and the cost is low. The specific mechanism of action has yet to be fully explained. Although there are some studies exploring the role of Chinese medicinal monomers in the pathogenesis of RVE， the types involved are still not enough. The effects of Chinese medicinal monomers on autophagy-related pathways fail to be uncovered， which is attributed to the lack of large-scale experimental data and clinical evidence. There are also many problems that cannot be ignored in the related research of Chinese medicinal compounds， taking the superficial exploration and limited scope for instance. Autophagy is a highly conserved biological phenomenon that involves a variety of signaling pathways. Its dysfunction is related to multiple pathological processes. Studies have shown that autophagy plays an important role in the pathogenesis of RVE， especially in the early stage of viral infection. Autophagy induces intestinal mucosal barrier damage， intestinal nerve dysfunction， and immune abnormality， resulting in the occurrence and development of RVE. In recent years， a large number of experimental studies have confirmed that TCM fights against circulatory， respiratory， digestive， and immune system diseases as well as tumors by intervening in autophagy. At the same time， a handful of studies have suggested that Chinese medicinal monomers and compounds regulate autophagy and interfere with viral replication by affecting related signaling pathways， thus playing a positive role in reversing the progression of RVE. However， at present， there are few studies on the regulation of autophagy by TCM in the treatment of RVE， and no systematic elaboration is available. This review aimed to summarize the role of autophagy in the pathogenesis of RVE and its intervention with TCM， in order to provide more theoretical and clinical evidence for the treatment of RVE with TCM.