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Apoptosis, and necrosis both are important cell processes involved in cleaning. Apoptosis is used to eliminate unwanted cells from the body, on the other hand, necrosis is cell injury that results in cell death. Before studying the difference between apoptosis and necrosis. Let us study more about apoptosis and necrosis, to have a basic understanding of the topic, to jump right in. Read on to know more about how dead cells are formed in the human body.
Apoptosis
Apoptosis is a particular type of cell death that happens in multicellular organisms. Apoptosis is used to eliminate unwanted cells from the body, primarily cells that are damaged beyond repair. The human body undergoes biochemical changes that lead to changes in cells and cause death. Changes include DNA fragmentation, nuclear fragmentation, cell shrinkage, blebbing, mRNA decay, and Chromatin condensation. An average adult loses around 60 million cells every day due to apoptosis.
Apoptosis plays an important role in preventing cancer. If apoptosis is stopped, it leads to uncontrolled cell division and eventually develops a tumour. Apoptosis produces cell divisions called apoptotic bodies which phagocytes consume and remove the damaged cells before their contents spill out and damage the cell. Apoptosis is a highly regulated process, once the process starts it cannot be stopped. There are two pathways to initiate the apoptosis process: the intrinsic pathway in which the cell suicides because of the stress inside the cell and the extrinsic pathway in which the suicides because of signals shown by neighboring cells. Faint external signals can also initiate the intrinsic pathway. Both these pathways activate caspases or enzymes that attack the proteins. Both these pathways start initiator caspases which in turn activate exterior caspases, it kills the cell by attacking its proteins.
Necrosis
Necrosis is a form of cell injury that results in the death of cells in tissues. The death of cells may result from infection, toxin damage, or other causes. Necrosis occurs when something interrupts the blood supply to a tissue or organ, depriving it of oxygen and nutrients. The cells can then no longer produce energy, and they die.
Necrosis is often confused with apoptosis, a type of cell death. Apoptosis is a programmed response by the cell that results in orderly destruction. In contrast, necrosis is an uncontrolled process that can lead to inflammation and tissue damage. The symptoms of necrosis depend on what’s causing it. For example, if you have a cut on your arm, signs of necrosis might include redness, swelling, pain, warmth around the wound, and pus drainage. If you have a heart attack, signs of necrosis might include chest pain, shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat, sweating, and nausea/vomiting. Treatment of necrosis generally involves treating the underlying cause of the necrosis. For example, if a person has a blood clot blocking blood flow to an area, treatment may involve breaking up or dissolving the clot. If a person has an infection, treatment may involve antibiotics or surgery.
If an underlying condition does not cause necrosis, treatment may involve surgical removal of the dead tissue and replacement with healthy tissue. In some cases, radiation therapy or chemotherapy may help control infection and promote healing. There are many ways to prevent necrosis or tissue death. One way is to ensure that the area is well-ventilated and has a good blood supply. This can be done by keeping the wound clean and free of debris and healthy surrounding skin. Another way to prevent necrosis is to use moist heat therapy or electrical stimulation therapy to keep the tissues healthy and promote healing. Finally, using Growth Factor Therapy can help regenerate tissues and prevent necrosis.
Difference between apoptosis and necrosis
Apoptosis | Necrosis |
It is a natural process. | It is caused by external factors. |
Broken cell membrane releases apoptotic bodies | Broken cell membrane releases cell contents. |
No symptoms are observed during the process | Symptoms like tissue death and inflammation are observed during the process. |
Not much treatment is required for apoptosis. | Necrosis can be fatal and medical treatment is necessary. |
It does not require energy, as enzymes carry out the process. | It requires energy to carry out the process |
The organelles function even after the death of the cell | The organelles do not function after the death of the cell. |
Conclusion
Apoptosis is an important cellular process involved in eliminating the damaged dead cells, which may affect the normal cells. Whereas necrosis is a type of cell death that happens because of some external factors. In this article, we looked at apoptosis and necrosis in detail and their differences.
