title: Apoptosis and necrosis in toxicology: a continuum or distinct modes of cell death?
abstract: Mounting evidence indicates that apoptosis rather than necrosis predominates in many cytolethal toxic injuries. Associated cell death models of apoptosis and necrosis are either: (1) totally separate death modes, (2) a continuum whereby they are extremes of biochemically overlapping death pathways, or (3) essentially distinct processes with only limited molecular and cell biology overlap. We conclude that the current balance of evidence favours the third of these options. The established axiom that, even when considering the same toxicant, injury amplitude (dose) is a primary determinant of whether cells die via active cell death (apoptosis) or failure of homeostasis (necrosis) remains valid. Tissue selectivity of toxicants can stem from the apoptotic or necrotic thresholds at which different cells die, as well as targeting factors such as toxicokinetics, receptor recognition, bioactivation, and cell-specific lesions.
authors.affiliation: MRC Toxicology Unit, University of Leicester, UK.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Raffray
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Cohen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D002463:Cell Membrane Permeability; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases / Q000378:metabolism; D003599:Cytoskeleton; D053938:DNA Fragmentation; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D017136:Ion Transport; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000201:enzymology; D008954:Models, Biological; D009336:Necrosis; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D014116:Toxicology
chemical_list: D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases