Concept in Definition ABC

The term Apoptosis is used to refer to the phenomenon of death mobile programmed, it is a common biological process in multicellular living beings that is carried out in order to maintain or adapt the different structures that make up the living being.

Once the egg is fertilized by the sperm, the increase in the number of cells of the embryo in formation thanks to the processes of cell division, this leads it to develop a series of structures that will be progressively molded until the definitive form of the new living being is achieved at the time of its birth. Throughout this formation, the different structures change so that many cells that are healthy must disappear to make way for new ones that are required.

After birth, this process continues its course throughout life, with the aim of achieving the Balance In the dimensions and in the shape of the different structures of a living being, millions of new cells are formed every minute, so a similar number must be destroyed. A physiological example of this is the series of changes that the breasts undergo when breastfeeding is suspended, the interruption in the

production milk causes the breast tissue to regress, destroying cells that are no longer required, in the same way during the menstrual cycle when it is not fertilization occurs, after ovulation, the inner layer of the uterus that is no longer required for nesting of the embryo is shed, giving rise to flow menstrual.

Apoptosis also occurs as a mechanism to eliminate abnormal cells or those that are genetically altered, as occurs in situations such as damage to the DNA induced by both drugs and factors environmental conditions, as well as in the case of cells infected by viruses such as Hepatitis A virus.

This elimination process occurs in response to a series of chemical changes that occur inside the cell in response to the presence of a number of protein called caspases, the interesting thing about this process is that it occurs without damaging or causing any kind of disturbance to neighboring cells.

Once apoptosis begins, the process becomes irreversible, the cell begins to retract and collapse, the nucleus disintegrates which leads to the fragmentation of the DNA and proteins contained in the same. Once the process has advanced, cells of the immune system, such as macrophages, are activated to go to the site and carry out phagocytosis, a situation in which they literally swallow the dead cell without its content being released, which guarantees that there is no damage to the surrounding tissue by not activating the mechanisms responsible for the inflammation.

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