|  | Conditions Treatments | Medical Conditions

Inhibition of Apoptosis

Apoptosis is a biological process also known as "programmed cell death" or PCD. Various biochemical events can trigger changes to your cells, causing cell death or apoptosis or inhibiting it. Between 50 billion and 70 billion of your cells die every day due to apoptosis.

  1. Apoptosis and Necrosis

    • Unlike necrosis---a traumatic form of cell death resulting from infection or injury--apoptosis occurs when cells are stressed or damaged beyond repair, according to a National Institute of Health (NIH) article on apoptosis. It usually is a natural process, known as homeostasis.

    Homeostasis

    • In all adult organisms, there must be homeostasis--also known as homeodynamics--a relatively constant amount of cells whose numbers are controlled via PCD and cell division, according to the NIH article. Before deciding to inhibit apoptosis, homeostasis must be considered.

    Controlling Apoptosis

    • Cell signals, either intracellular (inside the cell) or extracellular (outside) control apoptosis, according to a Nature Cell Biology article, "Calcium Orchestrates Apoptosis." Extracellular signals can include toxins, hormones, "death receptors" known as cytokines, growth factors considered "insufficient" and calcium influx.

    Calcium Coordination of Apoptosis

    • According to the Nature Cell Biology article, apoptosis can be coordinated or even inhibited when plasma membrane channels experience an influx of calcium. This indicates the potential for calcium to operate as a coordinator of a process that could either drive or inhibit apoptosis.

    Stress and Apoptosis

    • Stress factors can also work two ways on apotosis--they can either begin it or inhibit it, according to a Nature Cell Biology article entitled "Formation of Stress Granules Inhibits Apoptosis."

    Type I Stress Factors

    • Type I stress factors, including heat shock and hypoxia, may induce the formation of a defensive mechanism known as cytoplasmic stress granules (CSGs), which may help to inhibit apoptosis, according to the Nature Cell Biology article.

Medical Conditions - Related Articles