Acute pancreatitis (AP) is an acute abdomen often seen in clinical practice, and its treatment remains a clinical challenge, because the pathogenesis has not been clarified yet. Studies have demonstrated that autophagy plays a very important role in the pathogenesis of AP, which can lead to the activation of trypsinogen in pancreatic acinar cells and cause the occurrence and aggravation of the inflammatory reactions. Here, the authors address the research progress of the basic molecular mechanisms of autophagy and its action mechanism in AP.