**Apoptosis and Necrosis**

**Chapter 1**

**Provisional chapter**

**From Apoptosis to Regulated Necrosis: An Evolving**

**From Apoptosis to Regulated Necrosis: An Evolving** 

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a prevailing health threat around the world with high mortalities and heavy economic burdens. In the past, apoptosis was recognized as the main contributor to the pathogenesis of AKI. However, recent evidence has suggested that regulated necrosis also plays an important role in the pathologic process of various types of renal damages, improving our limited understanding of the complex mechanisms underlying AKI. Regulated necrosis is a newly identified type of "programed cell death" with morphologic features of necrosis, which includes necroptosis, ferroptosis, parthanatos, pyroptosis, etc. In this chapter, we summarized the molecular pathways of both apoptosis and regulated necrosis, and reviewed the potential roles and corresponding mechanisms of various cell deaths in AKI based on recent advances. We also discussed the therapeutic potentials and clinical implications based on manipulating regulated cell death. Taken together, the progress in this field lays the ground for better prevention and

**Keywords:** apoptosis, regulated necrosis, necroptosis, acute kidney injury

The balance between cell survival and cell death laid the foundation for any individual organisms. Cell death, especially molecularly regulated cell death, has been extensively investigated for decades in life science and medicine. Historically, cell death was roughly classified as different types: apoptosis and necrosis [1]. The term "apoptosis" derives from ancient Greek and refers to the developmentally programmed and molecularly controlled cell death, with featured morphologic changes including cell shrinkage, nuclear and cytoplasmic condensation,

> © 2016 The Author(s). Licensee InTech. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

© 2018 The Author(s). Licensee IntechOpen. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use,

distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.74816

**Understanding of Acute Kidney Injury**

**Understanding of Acute Kidney Injury**

Additional information is available at the end of the chapter

Additional information is available at the end of the chapter

Shuo Wang and Cheng Yang

Shuo Wang and Cheng Yang

**Abstract**

**1. Introduction**

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.74816

management of AKI in the future.

#### **From Apoptosis to Regulated Necrosis: An Evolving Understanding of Acute Kidney Injury From Apoptosis to Regulated Necrosis: An Evolving Understanding of Acute Kidney Injury**

DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.74816

Shuo Wang and Cheng Yang Shuo Wang and Cheng Yang

Additional information is available at the end of the chapter Additional information is available at the end of the chapter

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.74816

#### **Abstract**

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a prevailing health threat around the world with high mortalities and heavy economic burdens. In the past, apoptosis was recognized as the main contributor to the pathogenesis of AKI. However, recent evidence has suggested that regulated necrosis also plays an important role in the pathologic process of various types of renal damages, improving our limited understanding of the complex mechanisms underlying AKI. Regulated necrosis is a newly identified type of "programed cell death" with morphologic features of necrosis, which includes necroptosis, ferroptosis, parthanatos, pyroptosis, etc. In this chapter, we summarized the molecular pathways of both apoptosis and regulated necrosis, and reviewed the potential roles and corresponding mechanisms of various cell deaths in AKI based on recent advances. We also discussed the therapeutic potentials and clinical implications based on manipulating regulated cell death. Taken together, the progress in this field lays the ground for better prevention and management of AKI in the future.

**Keywords:** apoptosis, regulated necrosis, necroptosis, acute kidney injury
