RESUMO
Osteoarthritis （OA） is a common chronic， highly prevalent， painful， and disabling degenerative joint disease. It has imposed a heavy burden on social healthcare and patients' psychology and economy due to its clinical symptoms such as impaired joint mobility and severe joint pain and the immature therapies. Studies have shown that OA is closely associated with articular cartilage dysfunction， synthesis and degradation disorders of chondrocyte extracellular matrix （ECM）， and joint inflammation. Moderate autophagy can restore the function of damaged chondrocytes， regulate chondrocyte apoptosis， and promote the synthesis and metabolism of ECM to alleviate the inflammation of joints and delay the onset and progression of OA. According to the clinical symptoms， OA can be classified into the category of impediment in traditional Chinese medicine. With the theories of holistic conception， treatment based on syndrome differentiation， and individualised diagnosis and treatment， traditional Chinese medicine has demonstrated definite effects in the treatment of OA in thousands of years of practice. Moreover， traditional Chinese medicine causes mild adverse reactions， and the patients have high tolerance and acceptance. This paper briefly explains the roles of autophagy and the related regulatory proteins， such as Unc-51-like autophagy-activated kinase 1 （ULK1）， Beclin-1， and microtubule-associated protein light chain 3 （LC3）， and details the latest research achievements in the prevention and control of OA by traditional Chinese medicines and its related markers via the regulation of autophagy， so as to provide a idea for the in-depth research in this field and the clinical application of traditional Chinese medicine in preventing and treating OA.