Cellular Biology Flashcards
What is Autophagy?
Autophagy is a built in detox process to recycle damaged celular components. From a Greek word that means “self-eating.” During autophagy, your cells scan the body for pieces of dead, diseased, or worn-out cells, remove any useful components from these old cells, and then use the remaining molecules to either make energy or create parts for new cells.
What is Apoptosis?
A type of cell death in which a series of molecular steps in a cell lead to its death. This is one method the body uses to get rid of unneeded or abnormal cells. The process of apoptosis may be blocked in cancer cells. Also called programmed cell death.
What are Free Radicals?
Free Radicals are unstable molecules desperately seeking electrons for stability. They are known to cause cellular and DNA damage in our body, which in turn contribute to aging and the onset of various diseases. Free Radicals cause oxidation in our body and antioxidants prevent oxidation.
