Current views on apoptosis in theory and medical practice

Apoptosis is a kind of cell death essential for normal functioning and survival of most multicellular organisms. Apoptosis plays an important role in physiological processes and in pathophysiology of some chronic diseases, including autoimmunity, cancer, lymphoma, AIDS, neurodegeneration and others. The present paper describes the interdisciplinary pathogenesis of programmed cell death, the mechanisms inducing apoptosis and the role of apoptosis in some physiological phenomena and in medical practice.