Abstract:Acute pancreatitis (AP) is an inflammatory disease of the exocrine pancreas that still lacks specific treatment. At present, the pathogenesis of AP is considered to be mainly related to abnormal activation of trypsinogen, inflammatory cell infiltration, calcium overload, and mitochondrial dysfunction. In recent years, more and more studies have focused on mitochondrial dysfunction and abnormal mitophagy in acinar cells during AP. It is believed that mitophagy maintains cellular homeostasis and attenuates pathological damage in AP by degrading excessive or dysfunctional mitochondria. This review summarizes the research advances in the role of mitochondrial dysfunction and aberrant mitophagy in the pathogenesis of AP, and provides novel insights for establishing new drug targets and alleviating the clinical symptoms of AP.