Among the theories of aging of the organism, the most interesting for scientists are questions related to cell apoptosis. According to experts, if it is possible to find mechanisms that will allow regulating apoptosis of – accelerate or, conversely, slow down the destruction and excretion of individual cells, then it will be possible to significantly slow down the aging process. About how cell apoptosis occurs in the body and why it is important for prolonging youth, read on estet-portal.com.
Why does the body need cell apoptosis
The process of apoptosis in the body plays the role of a kind of cleansing. Apoptosis – that is, programmed death and the removal of – those cells that have completed the cycle of their development are exposed. The mechanisms of apoptosis affect cells that are aging, infected, damaged, mutated – those that can harm the body, or those that interfere with the development of new young cells.
Today, quite a lot of information has already been collected about how cell apoptosis occurs and what factors affect it, but scientists continue to search for answers to the questions – how to regulate the start of self-destruction of a damaged or aged cell. Such knowledge would significantly expand the possibilities in the treatment of a number of serious diseases, and for aesthetic medicine specialists it would allow to influence the processes of skin aging.
How does cell apoptosis occur and what factors influence it
Trigger mechanisms of cell apoptosis can be conditionally divided into two groups. The mitochondrial mechanism is triggered in relation to a cell that is damaged, for example, by radiation, exposure to toxins, chemicals, temperature changes, disruption of its nutrition or oxygen supply, stress factors. Despite the dissimilarity of the causes that caused cell damage, the mechanism of apoptosis will develop in the same way: cytochrome enzymes enter the cell cytoplasm through the mitochondrial membranes, they activate the action of other cellular factors and together start the proteolytic cascade leading to cell degradation.
The receptor mechanism of apoptosis acts on a completely viable cell, which, nevertheless, can be dangerous for the body – for example, contain some kind of DNA mutation. In this case, the cell receives a signal of self-destruction, which is perceived by special active receptors on the surface of its membrane.
Steroid hormones, anti-inflammatory cytokines, free radicals can become activators of the apoptosis process. Damage to intracellular membranes, as well as lipid peroxidation, can start the process of cell self-destruction.
Why cell apoptosis can turn into tissue necrosis
If cellular structures are damaged excessively, the process of cell death can become uncontrollable and turn into necrosis. The necrotic process is triggered, like apoptosis, in response to severe damage to the cell by radiation or chemical exposure, an infectious agent, or impaired blood supply. The manifestation of necrosis is that cytoplasmic proteins swell, undergo denaturation and coagulation, while cell organelles are destroyed, the membrane breaks and the cell dies. The contents of the cell are ejected into the intercellular space and absorbed by phagocytes, while an inflammatory reaction develops in the surrounding tissues.
The fate of cells during apoptosis and necrosis is somewhat different. So, apoptosis of cells leads to a decrease in their size and compaction. DNA is severely fragmented, organelles are intact, the membrane retains its integrity, and therefore fragments of cell fragmentation and apoptotic bodies remain inside, surrounded by the membrane. Contacts with neighboring cells during apoptosis are weakened, and glycoproteins and other elements are released on the membranes, which are recognized by phagocytes and lead to phagocytosis.
In necrosis, the cell swells and bursts, its contents damage neighboring cells, DNA degrades, and inflammation develops in neighboring tissues.
What is the role of apoptosis in various body processes
Cell apoptosis plays a very important role in many physiological processes of the body, including, for example, the removal of precancerous and genetically defective, mutated cells, the elimination of aging and damaged cells, the maintenance of the total number of cells at a constant level, the impact on the development of neoplastic age-related changes and many others.
According to scientists, there is a relationship between cell apoptosis and a number of age-related pathologies. Research is underway on how to increase the apoptosis of senescent cells and at the same time increase the proliferation of young cells, which will significantly slow down the aging process.
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