ABSTRACT
The purpose of this chapter is to review current knowledge concerning the cellular and molecular basis of cell injury and cell death. Knowledge in this area has progressed rapidly during the past 30 years, with most studies currently involving elucidation of the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in both lethal and sublethal injury as well as in acute and chronic cell injury. This chapter will focus, in particular, on the morphologic, metabolic, and genetic events involved and also on the effects of altered ion homeostasis. A number of reviews are available on the pathophysiology of cell injury in general and in the heart in particular, including Trump and Ginn (1969), Trump and Arstila (1971), Trump and Mergner (1974), Bowen and Lockshin (1981), Trump et al. (1982), Combs and Acosta (1990), Mergner et al. (1990), and Trump and Berezesky (1992, 1998).
