Abstract:
Autophagy is one of the most important physiological processes in eukaryotic organisms, which can degrade the misfolded proteins and the abnormal organelles by lysosomes. Autophagy is widely involved in many pathological and physiological processes. It is essential to reveal the molecular mechanism of autophagy, which will not only help to understand the physiological significance of autophagy, but also provide a theoretical basis for developing new drug targets for the treatment of diseases. Metal ions can induce autophagy through different signaling pathways, and this mechanism is significant in drug development and disease treatment. This review is related to the molecular mechanism of autophagy and the induction effect via metal ions.