OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of Aurora kinase A (AURKA) on the tumor microenvironment of colorectal cancer (CRC) and to predict the active compounds in Chinese herbs that can target AURKA. METHODS: Based on the transcriptomic data and clinical information from 380 CRC tissues and 51 paracancerous tissues in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, the infiltration of different cells in the tumor tissues was analyzed using xCell and the binding of active compounds of Chinese herbs with AURKA was predicted through molecular docking. RESULTS: The expression of AURKA was significantly upregulated in CRC tissues compared with that in paracancerous tissues ( CONCLUSION: The high expression of AURKA in CRC tissues suggests a poor clinical prognosis. AURKA can promote the development of a suppressive immune microenvironment in CRC, and 17β-estradiol, an active compound from Chinese herbs, is a potential therapeutic agent targeting AURKA.