ABSTRACT
Acute lung injury is a common critical respiratory disease， which can further develop into acute respiratory distress syndrome （ARDS） with a high fatality rate， but there is no effective drug at present. Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B （PI3K/Akt） signaling pathway is involved in cell proliferation， metabolism， survival， and motility through phosphorylation of numerous downstream effector molecules. It plays an important role in the development of acute lung injury by regulating mitochondrial function， apoptosis， autophagy， oxidative stress， and inflammatory response. The active ingredients in Chinese medicinals alleviate acute lung injury by targeting the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. There has been an explosion of research on the treatment of acute lung injury by active ingredients in Chinese medicinals via PI3K/Akt signaling pathway， which is of great clinical research value. The article presented the first summary of studies exploring the correlation between PI3K/Akt signaling pathway and acute lung injury in recent years and summed up the protective effect of the active ingredients in Chinese medicinals against acute lung injury via PI3K/Akt signaling pathway， providing innovative mindsets and strategies for clinical application of active ingredients in Chinese medicinals in the treatment of acute lung injury.