Cytolysis is cell death caused by a rupture of the cell membrane, often due to a disruption of osmotic balance. It is different from apoptosis, which is programmed cell death. Some viruses can initiate cytolysis, but some cells and organisms have measures to prevent it.
Cytolysis is a cell death that occurs as a result of a rupture of the cell membrane. When a cell experiences cytolysis, it explodes, scattering its contents in the process. Several things can cause cytolysis. This process is very different from apoptosis, or programmed cell death, in which a cell gradually shuts down or is triggered to do so by another cell. Cytotoxic (or “cell toxic”) cells in the immune system often use apoptosis to neutralize infected cells.
A common reason for cytolysis is a disruption of the osmotic balance. Normally, body fluids make up an isotonic solution, meaning that their salt balance is similar to cells, and cells experience no net loss or gain as water and salts flow through them. This allows cells to stay healthy and provides a way for them to be flushed to remove toxins and refreshed with needed minerals and other compounds.
If the body fluid becomes hypotonic, meaning that it is a solution of lower concentration than that found in the cell, the cell will tend to acquire water. This is a result of osmotic pressure, which encourages solutions to flow from areas of low concentration to areas of high concentration. If the cell gains enough water, it can rupture, undergoing cytolysis and dying. This can happen to people who suffer from water intoxication, as their bodily fluids become dangerously diluted, causing their body cells to swell.
Researchers can induce cytolysis in the lab by placing cells in a hypotonic solution that will cause them to swell and eventually burst. This can be used to prepare cells and solutions for various experiments and procedures and to explore the boundaries of cytolysis to learn more about how specific cell types work.
Some viruses can also initiate cytolysis by damaging the cell membrane. Viruses use this to their advantage, by first colonizing a cell and forcing it to reproduce its own DNA, then causing the cell to break apart so that copies of the virus are dispersed, allowing the virus to spread. Conversely, when an infected cell is attacked by the immune system, the immune system kills the cell without breaking the cell membrane, ensuring that the virus cannot spread.
Some cells and organisms have measures in place designed to prevent cell membrane breakdown. Plants, for example, have very stiff cell walls that resist bursting, although if a plant is frozen, the water in its cells can rupture the cell wall.
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