LeGrand E K
Pathology Department, R. W. Johnson Pharmaceutical Research Institute, Raritan, NJ 08869, USA.
Med Hypotheses. 2000 Apr;54(4):591-6. doi: 10.1054/mehy.1999.0902.
Apoptosis is widely recognized as being a host defense against viral infections, since viruses require live cells. There has been increasing acceptance of the view that apoptosis is also a defense against other intracellular pathogens and even against pathogens that adhere to host cells. An implication of apoptosis being a host defense is a need to reassess to what extent the cell death at infection sites may constitute a protective host response. A concept stressed here is that infected cells are a hazard to other cells and to the individual, so the benefits of early apoptosis are emphasized. Therefore, promoting the survival of infected cells, even though still functional, may carry risks. A further consideration is the possibility that the apoptotic stimulus of nutrient restriction may be acting in infection-induced anorexia to promote apoptosis of infected cells, thereby serving as a non-specific host defense.
细胞凋亡被广泛认为是机体抵御病毒感染的一种防御机制，因为病毒需要活细胞才能生存。越来越多的人接受这样一种观点，即细胞凋亡也是抵御其他细胞内病原体甚至抵御粘附于宿主细胞的病原体的一种防御机制。细胞凋亡作为机体防御机制的一个含义是，需要重新评估感染部位的细胞死亡在多大程度上可能构成一种保护性的宿主反应。这里强调的一个概念是，受感染的细胞对其他细胞和个体都是一种危害，因此强调早期细胞凋亡的益处。因此，即使受感染细胞仍有功能，促进其存活也可能存在风险。另一个需要考虑的问题是，营养限制引起的凋亡刺激可能在感染诱导的厌食症中发挥作用，以促进受感染细胞的凋亡，从而作为一种非特异性的宿主防御机制。
