Dictionary > Necrosis

Necrosis

Definition
noun, plural: necroses
Premature death of cells in a living tissue or organ caused by the progressive degradative action of enzymes
necrotic, adjective
Of, characterized by, relating to, produced by, or affected with necrosis
Supplement
Necrosis is a term pertaining to the bodily injury characterized by the localized death of cells in a living tissue or organ. Necrosis is different from apoptosis in a way that the former is a premature death of cells or tissues. In apoptosis, the death of a cell occurs naturally and according to the apoptotic signal transduction pathway. In necrosis, the death of a cell is caused not by such pathway but by a mechanism involving the activation of certain receptors resulting in the loss of cell membrane integrity.1 Factors that lead to necrosis are infection, toxins, and trauma.
Word origin: Ancient Greek nékrōsis (death)
See also:

Related term(s):

  • Receptors tumour necrosis factor
  • Simple necrosis
  • Infectious pancreatic necrosis virus
  • Tumour necrosis factor
  • Caseous necrosis
  • Coagulation necrosis
  • Fat necrosis tumour
  • Fat necrosis
  • Avascular necrosis
  • Central necrosis
  • Colliquative necrosis
  • Contraction band necrosis
  • Tumor necrosis factor
  • Femur head necrosis
  • Bridging hepatic necrosis
  • Liquefactive necrosis
  • Reference(s):

    1Proskuryakov SY, Konoplyannikov AG, Gabai VL; Konoplyannikov; Gabai (2003). “Necrosis: a specific form of programmed cell death?”. Exp. Cell Res. 283(1): 1–16.


    You will also like...

    Freshwater aquatic plankton
    Freshwater Communities & Plankton

    Planktons are microscopic organisms that live suspended in aquatic habitats. There are two groups: the phytoplanktons an..

    takahē
    Takahē (Porphyrio hochstetteri)

    Meet the colorful takahē, an extremely rare flightless bird. Find out more about its unique features and why they matte..

    squirrel
    Animal Water Regulation

    Animals adapt to their environment in aspects of anatomy, physiology, and behavior. This tutorial will help you understa..

    sponge
    Primitive Animals

    Life, as we know it today, is presumed to have started in the sea and many of them were likely eukaryotic animal-like or..

    Cell Biology
    Cell Biology

    The cell is defined as the fundamental, functional unit of life. Some organisms are comprised of only one cell whereas o..

    Neurology of Illusions
    Neurology of Illusions

    Illusions are the perceptions and sensory data obtained from situations in which human error prevents us from seeing the..

    Related Articles...

    No related articles found

    See all Related Topics