Answer to Question #196580 in Cell Biology for Noah

Question

Can you describe the differences in morphological features between necrosis and apoptosis?

Answer 1

Apoptotic bodies are recognized and phagocytized by either by macrophages or adjacent cells and thus no inflammatory response are elicited during apoptotic cell death. Necrosis definition: (accidental cell death) a pathological process occurs when the cells are exposed to serious physical or chemical insults.

Morphological criteria (apoptotic cell rounding and shrinkage, and appearance of membrane bubbles in early necrosis) allow to distinguish these cell death mechanisms, and also show that, independently of the damaging agents, the necrotic process occurs in a characteristic sequence.