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As a traditional Chinese alternative health care approach, acupuncture is gaining increasing attention and reputation in China and overseas. While becoming increasingly popular globally, some consumers and professionals still know little about the therapy and underlying mechanisms of acupuncture. Due to local superiority, there are large numbers of both clinical applications and mechanistic studies performed in China compared to countries overseas. Herein, this review attempts to give a comprehensive profile of the development, application, and mechanisms of acupuncture in treating major diseases. The number of clinical publications concerning acupuncture-treated neurological diseases, endocrine and metabolic diseases, circulatory diseases, respiratory diseases, etc. is first counted, and then, the application and therapeutic mechanisms of acupuncture on the predominant diseases in each category, including obesity, facial paralysis, sciatica, depression, hypertension, asthma, etc., are specifically discussed in this paper. The evolution of acupuncture tools and the rationality of acupoints are also discussed. This review not only summarizes the mechanisms of acupuncture but also provides useful information, such as specific acupoints and acupuncture procedures, for treating common diseases. Therefore, the current study provides useful information for both investigators and acupuncturists.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a group of metabolic disorders in which high blood sugar levels occur over a prolonged period. Approximately 4% of the global population is affected by DM. Western medical treatment methods for diabetes including injection or oral hypoglycemic drugs have some toxic or side effects, economic pressures, and so on. Many researchers turn to discover new drugs from natural products or Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Flavonoids are widely distributed in plants, and many studies have shown that flavonoids possess antidiabetic properties, exhibiting not only well-recognized antidiabetic and hypoglycemic activities but also activity in the treatment of diabetic complications. In this review, we systematically summarized anti-diabetic flavonoid compounds based on structure classification by examining the PubMed, Springer Link, Web of Science, and CNKI databases. There are 13 flavonoid compounds listed which have been studied extensively and have antidiabetic features respectively. Apigenin, baicalein, and catechin mainly reduces blood glucose via anti-oxidation; hesperidin is good for diabetic neuropathy; glycyrrhiza flavonoids have a significant effect on gestational DM; quercetin takes advantage of crossing the blood–brain barrier and improving renal function. Some compounds have protective and preventive effects on diabetic complications, such as kaempferol and puerarin which are beneficial to cardiomyopathy; myricetin has therapeutic potential in the treatment of DN; dihydromyricetin might improve CI. It is a pity or might be a pointcut that most studies remain in the animal experimental stage, and further investigation should be carried out.

Obesity is a common metabolic syndrome that causes a significant burden on individuals and society. Conventional therapies include lifestyle interventions, bariatric surgery, and pharmacological therapies, which are not effective and have a high risk of adverse events. Acupuncture is an effective alternative for obesity, it modulates the hypothalamus, sympathetic activity and parasympathetic activity, obesity-related hormones (leptin, ghrelin, insulin, and CCK), the brain-gut axis, inflammatory status, adipose tissue browning, muscle blood flow, hypoxia, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) to influence metabolism, eating behavior, motivation, cognition, and the reward system. However, hypothalamic regulation by acupuncture should be further demonstrated in human studies using novel techniques, such as functional MRI (fMRI), positron emission tomography (PET), electroencephalogram (EEG), and magnetoencephalography (MEG). Moreover, a longer follow-up phase of clinical trials is required to detect the long-term effects of acupuncture. Also, future studies should investigate the optimal acupuncture therapeutic option for obesity. This review aims to consolidate the recent improvements in the mechanism of acupuncture for obesity as well as discuss the future research prospects and potential of acupuncture for obesity.

Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is a highly confounding and fatal pathological process with finite treatment options. Multiple factors such as oxidative and immune/inflammation involve key pathological processes in chronic lung disease, and their intimate interactions mediate chronic lung damage, denudation of the alveolar epithelium, hyperproliferation of type II alveolar epithelial cells (AECIIs), proliferation and differentiation of fibroblasts, and the permeability of microvessels. We reviewed the classic mechanism of PF and highlighted a few emerging mechanisms for studying complex networks in lung disease pathology. Polyphenols, as a multi-target drug, has excellent potential in the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis. We then reviewed recent advances in discovering phenolic compounds from fruits, tea, and medical herbs with the bioactivities of simultaneously regulating multiple factors (e.g., oxidative stress, inflammation, autophagy, apoptosis, pyroptosis) for minimizing pulmonary fibrosis injury. These compounds include resveratrol, curcumin, salvianolic acid B, epigallocatechin-3-gallate, gallic acid, corilagin. Each phenolic compound can exert its anti-PF effect through various mechanisms, and the signaling pathways involved in different phenolic compounds are not the same. This review summarized the available evidence on phenolic compounds’ effectiveness in pulmonary diseases and explored the molecular mechanisms and therapeutic targets of phenolic compounds from Chinese herbal medicine with the properties of inhibition of ongoing fibrogenesis and resolution of existing fibrosis.

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) caused by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is a serious public problem threatening global health. At present, although “cocktail therapy” has achieved significant clinical effects, HIV still cannot be completely eradicated. Furthermore, long-term antiviral treatment has caused problems such as toxic side effects, the emergence of drug-resistant viruses, and poor patient compliance. Therefore, it is highly necessary to continue to search for high-efficient, low-toxic anti-HIV drugs with new mechanisms. Natural products have the merits of diverse scaffolds, biological activities, and low toxicity that are deemed the important sources of drug discovery. Thus, finding lead compounds from natural products followed by structure optimization has become one of the important ways of modern drug discovery. Nowadays, many natural products have been found, such as berberine, gnidimacrin, betulone, and kuwanon-L, which exert effective anti-HIV activity through immune regulation, inhibition of related functional enzymes in HIV replication, and anti-oxidation. This paper reviewed these natural products, their related chemical structure optimization, and their anti-HIV mechanisms.

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a complicated syndrome characterized by widespread chronic pain, fatigue, sleep disturbances, cognitive dysfunction, and other complications. There is currently no specific treatment available. No comprehensive surveys have been published to summarize the mechanism of acupuncture in FM management. Although several studies have shown that acupuncture can benefit FM patients, their clinical findings are inconsistent. Here, we summarize the operation method of acupuncture for FM. For the first time, we conducted a comprehensive review of the mechanisms of acupuncture for FM, and integrated evidence-based scientific findings with the most comprehensive and updated literature. According to studies conducted using FM patients and animal models, acupuncture may improve symptoms in FM patients by regulating the afferent pain pathway and descending inhibitory pain pathways of various molecules, such as ASIC3, Nav1.7, Nav1.8, and TRPV1, as well as peripheral inflammation and the autonomic nervous system. Furthermore, we discussed the epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management of FM, and reviewed acupuncture-related clinical studies. This review fills a previously unknown gap in knowledge of the mechanism of acupuncture for FM. Although there is growing evidence that acupuncture may be a promising therapy for treating symptoms in FM patients, further investigation is needed.

Osteoporosis (OP) represents a substantial public health issue and is associated with increasing rates of morbidity and mortality. It is characterized by reduced bone mineral density, deterioration of bone tissue quality, disruption of the microarchitecture of bones, and compromised bone strength. These changes may be attributed to the following factors: intercellular communication between osteoblasts and osteoclasts; imbalanced bone remodeling; imbalances between osteogenesis and adipogenesis; imbalances in hormonal regulation; angiogenesis; chronic inflammation; oxidative stress; and intestinal microbiota imbalances. Treating a single aspect of the disease is insufficient to address its multifaceted nature. In recent decades, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has shown great potential in the treatment of OP, and the therapeutic effects of Chinese patent drugs and Chinese medicinal herbs have been scientifically proven. TCMs, which contain multiple components, can target the diverse pathogeneses of OP through a multitargeted approach. Herbs such as XLGB, JTG, GSB, Yinyanghuo, Gusuibu, Buguzhi, and Nvzhenzi are among the TCMs that can be used to treat OP and have demonstrated promising effects in this context. They exert their therapeutic effects by targeting various pathways involved in bone metabolism. These TCMs balance the activity of osteoblasts (bone-forming cells) and osteoclasts (bone-resorbing cells), and they exhibit anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, anti-oxidative, and estrogen-like functions. These multifaceted mechanisms underlie the efficacy of these herbs in the management and treatment of OP. Herein, we examine the efficacy of various Chinese herbs and Chinese patent drugs in treating OP by reviewing previous clinical trials and basic experiments, and we examine the potential mechanism of these therapies to provide evidence regarding the use of TCM for treating OP.

The formation of fibrotic tissue, characterized by the excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) components such as collagen and fibronectin, is a normal and crucial stage of tissue repair in all organs. The over-synthesis, deposition, and remodeling of ECM components lead to organ dysfunction, posing a significant medical burden. Berberine, an isoquinoline alkaloid, is commonly used in the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases. With the deepening of scientific research, it has been gradually discovered that berberine also plays an important role in fibrotic diseases. In this review, we systematically introduce the effective role of berberine in fibrosis-related diseases. Specifically, this paper aims to provide a comprehensive review of the therapeutic role of berberine in treating fibrosis in organs such as the heart, liver, lungs, and kidneys. By summarizing its various pathways and mechanisms of action, including the inhibition of the transforming growth factor-$\beta$/Smad signaling pathway, PI3K/Akt signaling pathway, MAPK signaling pathway, RhoA/ROCK signaling, and mTOR/p70S6K signaling pathway, as well as its activation of the Nrf2-ARE signaling pathway, AMPK signaling pathway, phosphorylated Smad 2/3 and Smad 7, and other signaling pathways, this review offers additional evidence to support the treatment of fibrotic diseases.

Abstract: Our previous study has revealed that malonyl-ginsenosides from Panax ginseng (PG-MGR) play a crucial role in the treatment of T2DM. However, its potential mechanism was still unclear. In this study, we investigated the anti-diabetic mechanisms of action of PG-MGR in high fat diet-fed (HFD) and streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice and determined the main constituents of PG-MGR responsible for its anti-diabetic effects. Our results showed that 16 malonyl ginsenosides were identified in PG-MGR by HPLC-ESI-MS/MS. PG-MGR treatment significantly reduced fasting blood glucose (FBG), triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels and improved insulin resistance and glucose tolerance. Simultaneously, PG-MGR treatment improved liver injury by decreasing aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) expression. Furthermore, Western blot analysis demonstrated that the protein expression levels of p-PI3K/PI3K, p-AKT/AKT, p-AMPK/AMPK, p-ACC/ACC and GLUT4 in liver and skeletal muscle were significantly up-regulated after PG-MGR treatment, and the protein expression levels of p-IRS-1/IRS-1, Fas and SREBP-1c were significantly reduced. These findings revealed that PG-MGR has the potential to improve glucose and lipid metabolism and insulin resistance by activating the IRS-1/PI3K/AKT and AMPK signal pathways.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the clinical effects and underlying mechanisms of Hu’s AnGeng Decoction combined with Femostom in treating menopausal syndrome (MD) associated with Kidney Yin deficiency and disharmony between the heart and kidney, to provide a safe and effective therapeutic option. METHODS: A total of 324 menopausal participants were randomly allocated into three groups: An experimental group receiving Hu’s AnGeng Decoction combined with Femostom (1/10mg) ($n=108$), control group 1 receiving only Hu’s AnGeng Decoction ($n=108$), and control group 2 receiving Femostom (1/10mg) only ($n=103$). Using the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP), TCM-ID, and GeneCards, we retrieved the active ingredients and target proteins of Hu’s AnGeng Decoction along with MD-related targets. A protein–protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed, followed by gene ontology (GO) function enrichment analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis. RESULTS: The experimental group exhibited significantly better scores in the Modified Kupperman Index (mKI), Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH), and estrogen (E2) levels compared to both control group 1 and control group 2. A total of 119 targets related to Hu’s AnGeng Decoction were identified, along with 17 genes associated with MD, and three common targets were determined through Venny 2.1 analysis. The PPI network highlighted three key targets through topological analysis. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses indicated multiple disease-relevant pathways. Conclusion: Hu’s AnGeng Decoction significantly alleviates MD, likely through active components such as quercetin, beta-sitosterol, naringenin, and beta-carotene, which may exert therapeutic effects by modulating key targets such as estrogen receptor 2 (ESR2), CYP1B1, and AR. This study identified 119 drug target genes and 17 target genes related to menopausal symptoms, illustrating the integrative therapeutic potential of Hu’s AnGeng Decoction.

The mechanism of acupuncture analgesia (AA) has been widely explored since the 1970s. Early studies investigated the relationship between acupuncture and endogenous opiates (β-endorphin, enkephalin, endomorphin and dynorphin). Before the 1990s, most experts agreed on the concept that in normal animal models, lower frequency electroacupuncture (EA) stimulates the release of β-endorphin, enkephalin and endomorphin, which in turn activates the μ- and δ-opioid receptors, and that higher frequency EA stimulates dynorphin which activates the κ-opioid receptor. Besides endogenous opiates, our studies have focused on serotonin. The serotoninergic descending inhibitory pathway is suggested to be an important mechanism of acupuncture analgesic, collaborating with endogenous opiates. Many efforts have been made to clarify these mechanisms, but to date no satisfactory consensus has been reached. In the late 1990s, researchers began to focus on the different analgesic effects of EA between normal and hyperalgesic animal models. Published data from these studies imply that normal and hyperalgesic animals respond differently to EA. Results from experiments on the anti-hyperalgesia effect of EA have raised a new issue about the influences of EA on receptors to excitatory amino acid in the spinal cord level. Results from various studies have shown that these receptors play a role in the mechanism of AA. Recently, research on the autonomic nervous system (ANS) seem to indicate its connection with acupuncture. The inflammatory reflex (via the ANS) might be a crucial part of anti-hyperalgesia elicited by acupuncture, and this reflex, which regulates the immune system in the organism, can elucidate not only the mechanism of AA but also the mechanism of acupuncture applied to other inflammatory conditions. Innovation of functional image study enables us to analyze the responses of cortex on living human body to acupuncture. However, results of these experiments are still controversial. After 30 years of acupuncture research, there are still many puzzles left to be solved regarding the mechanism of AA.

Pain is a widespread and complex symptom which causes serious emotional and social burdens to individuals and society. Most patients with pain rely heavily on over the counter (OTC) and prescription pain killers. However, there would be a number of issues that arise from the use of pain killers, in which safety and addiction are the most critical issues. For traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), pain is a result of the meridians being blocked. This could occur as a symptom of or be caused by various diseases. In this case, the key to relieve pain depends on dredging the meridian or meridians. Acupuncture has been practiced in China for over 2000 years to lessen pain. It is based on the “meridian theory”. Acupuncture is being used more widely and with a growing number of people in the treatment of pain because it is safer and has fewer side effects. Along with growing use and interest in acupuncture to treat pain, more attention has been paid to the mechanism underlying its analgesic effect, which is mainly associated with the changes of neurotransmitters. In this review, we summarize and analyze the range and mechanism of acupuncture analgesia treatment.

Berberine is an alkaloid from several medicinal plants originally used to treat diarrhea and dysentery as a traditional Chinese herbal medicine. In recent years, berberine has been discovered to exhibit a wide spectrum of biological activities in the treatment of diverse diseases ranging from cancer and neurological dysfunctions to metabolic disorders and heart diseases. This review article summarizes the clinical practice and laboratory exploration of berberine for the treatment of cardiometabolic and heart diseases, with a focus on the novel insights and recent advances of the underlying mechanisms recognized in the past decade. Berberine was found to display pleiotropic therapeutic effects against dyslipidemia, hyperglycemia, hypertension, arrhythmia, and heart failure. The mechanisms of berberine for the treatment of cardiometabolic disease involve combating inflammation and oxidative stress such as inhibiting proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin 9 (PCSK9) activation, regulating electrical signals and ionic channels such as targeting human ether-a-go-go related gene (hERG) currents, promoting energy metabolism such as activating adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling pathway, modifying gut microbiota to promote transforming of berberine into its intestine-absorbable form, and interacting with non-coding RNAs via targeting multiple signaling pathways such as AMPK, mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR), etc. Collectively, berberine appears to be safe and well-tolerated in clinical practice, especially for those who are intolerant to statins. Knowledge from this field may pave the way for future development of more effective pharmaceutical approaches for managing cardiometabolic risk factors and preventing heart diseases.

Gegen (Radix Puerariae Lobatae), the root of Pueraria lobata, is an edible and medicinal herb which has been used in treating diabetic symptoms in the orient for thousands of years. We present an evidence map of the efficacy and safety of Gegen and Gegen formulas (GGFs) that use Gegen as an essential herb for diabetes, and also its mechanism of actions. We comprehensively searched the ancient medical records to identify empirical evidence; conducted a systematic review (SR) based on moderate- to high-quality randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to synthesize the clinical evidence; and reviewed the possible mechanisms of its antidiabetic effects. Empirical application of Gegen in treating diabetic symptoms dated back to more than 2000 years ago. Common herbs used in RCTs that accompany with Gegen included Radix et Rhizoma Glycyrrhizae, Radix et Rhizoma Ginseng, Rhizoma Dioscoreae, Poria, and Radix Ophiopogonis. The combinations used today are consistent with their usage in ancient times. Results of the SR showed that GGFs could benefit patients with type 2 diabetes for blood glucose control. When in combination with hypoglycemic agents or insulin, GGFs enhanced the glucose-lowering effect as well as the lipid-lowering effects. Also, the incidence and the risk of adverse events (AE), especially the hypoglycemic episodes, were lower in the combination group. No serious or life-threatening AE was reported. The experimental evidence presented that Gegen and GGFs might exert and enhance the anti-diabetic effects through activation of multiple mechanisms, such as reducing insulin resistance, increasing insulin release, inhibiting glucose absorption and reabsorption, and improving insulin sensitivity, glucose uptake, and metabolism.

Toxic Chinese materia medica (CMM) has both pharmacological activities and toxic effects. Based on thousands of years of experience in the application of CMMs, people have explored many practical processing methods of CMMs, also known as “Pao Zhi”, to reduce/control toxicity and preserve/enhance efficacy. Toxic CMMs have been used throughout China’s hospitals. Yet, the production and use of toxic CMM should be carried out in accordance with the Chinese pharmacopoeia (ChP) and the processing regulations formulated by the health administrative departments of provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government. This paper summarizes the current understanding and awareness of toxicity and 45 toxic CMMs, the commonly used processing methods of toxic CMMs recorded in the 2020 edition of ChP, and the changes in the chemical component, toxicity, or efficacy profiles after processing. This review may provide useful information for the processing methods of toxic CMMs worldwide. We believe that with an in-depth study and understanding of toxic CMMs combined with a standardized application, the toxicity of CMMs will be predictable and controllable in the future.

In recent years, rising living standards and an accelerated lifestyle have led to an increase in the incidence of chronic liver disease. Modern medicine has yet to fully develop effective methods for preventing and treating these conditions due to their complex pathogenesis. Autophagy, a cellular process that maintains homeostasis by removing abnormal proteins, has emerged as a promising therapeutic target for chronic liver diseases. These diseases include liver fibrosis, liver cirrhosis, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, chronic hepatitis B, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Chinese medicine, with its multi-component, multi-target, and multi-pathway approach, offers unique advantages in treating these conditions, especially given the unclear etiology of chronic liver diseases. Recent research demonstrates that Chinese medicine — comprising single herbs, herbal combinations, and proprietary formulas — can effectively regulate autophagy, thereby providing therapeutic and preventive benefits for chronic liver diseases. This paper reviews recent studies, categorizes various chronic liver diseases, and examines the impact of active ingredients and compound formulas from Chinese medicine on autophagy. These insights are crucial for slowing the progression of chronic liver diseases and pave the way for the future application of Chinese medicine in preventing and managing these conditions through autophagy modulation.

Cucurbitacins are highly oxidized tetracyclic triterpenoids that are widely present in traditional Chinese medicines (Cucurbitaceae family), possess strong anticancer activity, and are divided into 12 classes from A to T with over 200 derivatives. The eight most active cucurbitacin components against cancer are cucurbitacin B, D, E, I, IIa, L glucoside, Q, and R. Their mechanisms of action include antiproliferation, inhibition of migration and invasion, proapoptosis, and cell cycle arrest promotion. Cucurbitacins are also found to be the inhibitors of JAK-STAT3, Wnt, PI3K/Akt, and MAPK signaling pathways, which play important roles in the apoptosis and survival of cancer cells. Recently, new studies have discovered synergistic anticancer effects by using cucurbitacins together with clinically approved chemotherapeutic drugs, such as docetaxel and methotrexate. This paper provides a summary of recent research progress on the anticancer property of cucurbitacins and the various intracellular signaling pathways involved in the regulation of cancer cell proliferation, death, invasion, and migration. Therefore, cucurbitacins are a class of promising anticancer drugs to be used alone or be intergraded in current chemotherapies and radiotherapies to treat many types of cancers.

D-arginine oligomers have been widely used as intracellular delivery vectors both in in vitro and in vivo application. Nevertheless, their internalization pathway is obscure and conflicting results have been obtained concerning their intracellular distribution. In this study, we demonstrate that octa-D-arginine (r₈) undergoes diffuse localization throughout the cytoplasm and nucleus even at low concentrations and that r₈ (r: D-arginine) enters the cells via direct membrane translocation, unlike R₈ (R: L-arginine), of which endocytosis is the major internalization pathway. The observation that R₈ and r₈ enter the cells through two clearly distinct internalization pathways suggests that the backbone stereochemistry affects the uptake mechanism of oligoarginines.

This study employed first principles calculations to investigate Fe-doped Bi₄O₅Br₂ as a potential photocatalyst with high efficiency. Based on formation energy calculation, the Fe atoms prefer to replace the Bi atoms with coordination bond of 3, and the optimal concentration for Fe-doping is 6.06wt.%. From surface energy calculations, the $(10\bar{1})$ surface has the lowest surface energy, and therefore the easiest cleavage facet is $\{10\bar{1}\}$. The key factors for the improvement of photocatalytic efficiency after Fe-doped Bi₄O₅Br₂ are estimated as follows. First, the band gap decreases from 2.63eV in pristine case to 2.40eV in 4 Fe-doped Bi₄O₅Br₂ case, resulting in the photon absorption edge shift to lower energy range and the absorption coefficient increase. Secondly, the work functions decrease from 5.66 eV (pristine) to 4.92eV (4 Fe-doped Bi₄O₅Br₂), which facilitate the electrons escaping from the surface. Thirdly, the relative mass ratio of photo-induced electrons and holes increases with Fe concentration. Because the Fe 3$d$ impurity states in the forbidden band gap become wider, the relative ratio increased after Fe-doped Bi₄O₅Br₂. Finally, the Fe doping process introduces more active sites on the surface, which can effectively improve the capacity of target molecules adsorption. Therefore, it is reasonable to believe that Fe-doped Bi₄O₅Br₂ can effectively improve the photocatalytic efficiency because the abovementioned key factors have tremendously improved. Our work provides a reasonable reason for choosing Fe as a dopant, which can help our experimental work and provide explanation for photocatalytic efficiency improvement.

Atractylodin is one of the main active ingredients of Atractylodis Rhizoma. It has various pharmacological properties, such as antigastric ulcer, immune regulation, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, anti-oxidant, and neuroprotective properties. In the past few decades, atractylodin has attracted the attention of researchers due to its excellent therapeutic effects. This paper aims to review the pharmacology of atractylodin, focusing mainly on its pharmacological effects in tumor treatment. Atractylodin exerts its antitumor effect by regulating different signaling pathways to induce important biological events such as apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, and autophagy, inhibiting cancer cell invasion and metastasis. In the process of cell apoptosis, atractylodin mainly induces cancer cell apoptosis by downregulating the Notch signaling pathway, affecting multiple upstream and downstream targets. In addition, atractylodin induces autophagy in cancer cells by regulating various signaling pathways such as PI3K/AKT/mTOR, p38MAPK, and hypothalamic Sirt1 and p-AMPK. Atractylodin effectively induces G1/M and G2/M phase arrest under the action of multiple signaling pathways. Among them, the pathways related to G1/M are more widely stagnated. In inhibiting the migration and invasion of cancer cells, atractylodin mainly regulates the Wnt signaling pathway, downregulates the expression of N-cadherin in cancer cells, and then blocks the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway, inhibiting the phosphorylation of PI3K, AKT, and mTOR proteins, thereby having a significant impact on the invasion and migration of cancer cells. This paper systematically reviews the research progress on the antitumor effects and mechanisms of atractylodin, hoping to provide a reference and theoretical basis for its clinical application and new drug development.