Will Knowledge of the Mechanism of Apoptosis Lead to New Therapeutic Procedures?

Overview

Apoptosis (programmed cell death) ensures under physiological conditions cell homeostasis. Under pathologicalconditions excessive apoptosis, premature apoptosis or delayed or infinite apoptosis of cell is a sign of various seriousdiseases. Due to intensive research in this field it proved possible to assess nowadays at a molecular level a numberof pro- and anti-apoptotic factors and their function in the process of apoptosis. Apoptosis proceeds by external aswell as internal pathway. Factors involved in apoptosis are studied from the aspect of their possible therapeuticapplication in tissue cultures, experimental animals, and there are already some inicial reports from human pathology.Delayed or infinite apoptosis is a typical property of tumor cells. So far most attention was paid to two ways ofapoptosis induction of tumor cells: suppressed translation of the antiapoptic factor Bcl 2 by means of an antisensenucleotide and induction of apoptosis by TRAIL (TNF related apoptosis inducing ligand). Conversely a delay ofpremature apoptosis gives hope for hitherto untreatable neurodegenerative diseases, myelodysplastic syndromes,ischaemic events and some severe infections. This is achieved by means of peptides inhibiting caspases. Providedthat modulation of cell apoptosis will not be associated with inacceptable side-effects, it will become a newtherapeutic approach in of hitherto inadequately curable diseases.

Key words:
apoptosis therapeuticapplication, antiBcl 2, TRIAL, caspases inhibitors.