Cytochemical Methods for the Detection of Apoptosis

Detection of apoptotic cell death in cells and tissues has become of paramount importance in many fields of modern biology, including studies of embryonic development, degenerative disease, and cancer biology. In addition to methods that employ biochemical analysis of large populations of cells, cytochemical methods have recently been extensively used both in individual cells and in tissues. Most of these methods exploit properties of dying cells that are more or less specific for the apoptotic process. However, considerable confusion exists over the interpretation of some of these methods and their usefulness in all settings. This review attempts to summarize the more recent advances in cytochemical detection of apoptosis and emphasizes some of the pitfalls that confuse the interpretation of results of these methods.