Abiotic stress limits plant growth and development， causes yield losses in crops， and severe abiotic stress can even result in the death of plant. Plants have evolved a series of stress response mechanisms to adapt to abiotic stress， including the myo-inositol （MI） metabolic pathway. MI represents a class of small polar molecules with stable chemical properties. Plants can respond to a variety of abiotic stress by participating in osmoregulatory pathways through accumulating the glycoside derivatives of MI. Myo-inositol-1-phosphate synthase （MIPS）， inositol monophosphate phosphatase （IMP）， and myo-inositol oxygenase （MIOX） play a role in the process of the biosynthesis or decomposition of MI. They are involved in the synthesis of L-ascorbic acid （L-AsA） and cell wall polysaccharides by regulating the content of MI in plant and a series of subsequent complex transformation pathways， and ultimately response to abiotic stresses such as salt， drought， alkali， and low temperature. This paper reviewed the research progress of the structure， biological functions of MI， MI metabolic pathway-related enzymes and its derivatives in plants response to abiotic stresses， providing an outlook to the future research focuses. This study aims to provide a theoretical basis for enhancing plant resistance to abiotic stresses by utilizing MI metabolism and breeding stress-resistant plant varieties.