Characteristic features of apoptosis versus necrosis
| Apoptosis | Necrosis |
|---|---|
| Condensation/clumping of nuclear chromatin | Nuclear chromatin non-specifically degraded |
| Loss of cell–cell contact, cell shrinkage, and fragmentation, with formation of membrane bound processes and vesicles containing fragments of nuclear material or organelles | Cell volume increases |
| Adjacent cells phagocytose the end product, the apoptotic body | |
| Minimal disruption of cell membranes or release of lysosomal enzymes, with consequently little inflammatory reaction | Cell membrane integrity lost early, release of lysosomal enzymes and subsequent inflammation |
| Organelle structure and function maintained until late into the process | Organelle structure and function lost early |