Review on the Treatment of Pancreatitis with Traditional Chinese Medicine Targeting the Nrf2 Pathway

Acute Pancreatitis (AP) is a ubiquitous inflammatory digestive system disease with a high prevalence worldwide. Once it progresses to Severe Acute Pancreatitis (SAP), its mortality can significantly increase. However, until now, there has been no clinical cure for AP, and the treatment of patients has mostly been based on surgery and supportive care. This has become a major medical problem. As for the pharmacological treatment of AP, various Chinese medicine tonics and formulations have shown a surprising appeal in both clinical and scientific research. Studies on AP pathogenesis have shown that physiological processes, such as oxidative stress and inflammatory responses, play important roles in AP. The Nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) signalling pathway is closely related to the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of the body and may be a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of AP. Therefore, this review focuses on Chinese patent medicine that uses the Nrf2 pathway as a therapeutic target. We list the current research and clinical treatment strategies for AP with the help of Chinese medicine as a cornerstone for future studies. Some of our reflections and conclusions are presented in this review, especially with a focus on the mechanism of action of therapeutic strategies.