Zeitschrift für Arzneimittelstoffwechsel und Toxikologie
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Abstrakt

Autophagy in Toxicology: Defense against Xenobiotics

Wen-Xing Ding

Autophagy is a lysosomal degradation pathway that can degrade cellular proteins and damaged organelles to maintain cellular homeostasis. It is generally agreed that autophagy is a cellular protective mechanism against cell death, but in certain cases, it has been reported that autophagy also contributes to cell death. Although the role of autophagy in toxicology has not been extensively studied, I here discuss the current knowledge regarding the role of autophagy in xenobiotic-induced cell death. I also discuss the role of autophagy in the regulation of redox homeostasis and tumorigenesis.