Necrosis is a pathological process in which cells and tissues die in a living organism with failure of membrane integrity.  That is the cell membrane (and other membranes inside cells) become permeable as opposed to their usual state.  This process follows cell injury and the resultant dead (and dieing) cells induce an inflammatory reaction.

Necrosis must be clearly distinguished from apoptosis where cell death results from energy dependent, metabolically active, endogenous cellular processes where membrane integrity is maintained and where the dying cells do not elicit an inflammatory reaction.

Apoptosis is a physiological process that results in the deletion of individual cells in physiological growth control and in a range of disease states.

	Reduced apoptosis contributes to cell accumulation eg. neoplasia
	Increased apoptosis contributes to cell loss eg. atrophy

Much is now known about the molecular basis of apoptosis, in terms of the mechanisms by which it is regulated and also the detailed biochemical pathways in side the cell that are involved.  The 2002 Nobel Prize for Medicine was awarded to 3 scientists who made important discoveries about the mechanisms of apoptosis.

Exercise        

Construct a table that compares and contrasts the features of apoptosis and necrosis

  Click here for a model answer