A prevalent, dangerous medical illness with bad prognoses is acute kidney damage (AKI). A conserved multistep system called autophagy is important for numerous biological activities as well as illnesses. Recent research has shown that during AKI, proximal tubular cells undergo autophagy induction. Under some circumstances, autophagy has a pro-survival or pro-death function. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) also provide therapeutic promise for the restoration of kidney damage. The current state of knowledge about the function of autophagy in AKI and MSC-based AKI therapy is compiled in this review. In order to prevent and treat acute renal damage, more research is anticipated.