Molecular Aspects of Ultraviolet Radiation-induced Apoptosis in the Skin

Abstract

Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, is an essential physiological process that controls cell numbers during physiological processes, and eliminates abnormal cells that can potentially harm an organism. This review summarizes our current state of knowledge of apoptosis induction in skin by UV radiation. A review of the literature was undertaken focusing on cell death in the skin secondary to UV radiation. It is evident that a number of apoptotic pathways, both intrinsic and extrinsic, are induced following exposure to damaging UV radiation. Although our understanding of the apoptotic processes is gradually increasing, many important aspects remain obscure. These include interconnections between pathways, wavelength-specific differences and cell type differences.