Abstract: Na⁺/H⁺ exchanger transporters (NHEs)play important roles in various biological processes, including Na⁺ uptake, intracellular pH homeostasis, cell volume regulation, proliferation, and apoptosis. Among them, NHE3 (Na⁺/H⁺ exchanger isoform 3)is highly expressed in the intestine and proximal tubules of the kidney to play a role in neutral NaCl absorption. When pathogens such as bacteria, viruses and toxins infect the intestine, they cause inhibition of the corresponding NHE3 activity on the intestinal epithelium and impairment of Na⁺ transport, which leads to water and electrolyte retention in the intestine, stagnation of nutrient absorption and the development of diarrhea. In recent years, significant progress has been made in the study of the altered NHE3 activity of the gastrointestinal epithelium caused by viral, bacterial, and other microbial infections. This paper reviews the changes of NHE3 activity in diarrhea caused by some pathogenic microbial infections and the mechanisms of NHE3 activity regulation, including the apical to intracellular body circulation of NHE3 from the epithelial membrane, transcriptional and translational regulation, dynamic interactions between proteins, and the regulatory mechanisms of related signaling pathways.

Key words: sodium hydrogen exchange protein 3, infectious diarrhea, activity regulation mechanism