The role of calcium in cell injury. A review

The role of calcium in cell injury is currently under investigation in many laboratories. It appears that movement of calcium between extra- to intracellular compartments and between various intracellular compartments plays a key role in determining many important reactions of cells both to lethal and sublethal injuries of diverse types as well as in adaptive new steady states. Prevention and/or modification of calcium movements has implication for the control of cell population growth, the prevention of cancer, and the retrieval of victims of shock, myocardial infarction and stroke. Regardless of what type of initial injury occurs, for example ischemia or direct cell membrane damage, the cell undergoes calcium accumulation either by impaired energy metabolism and/or plasmalemmal alterations. This elevated intracellular calcium concentration is responsible for cytoskeletal modifications which alter cell shape, the activation of phospholipases which results in perpetuation of membrane damage and finally, mitochondrial calcification. Although such changes have been partially characterized biochemically and morphologically, some obscure points continue to need clarification. The importance of determing the event(s) responsible for cell death is directly related to the potential capability of their manipulation. Therefore, this could result in the development and/or modification of pharmacologic interventions for the control and prevention of many human diseases. It is the purpose of this paper to review the present state of the art regarding the role of calcium in cell injury, to put it into perspective concerning organelle changes from the standpoint of morphology, and to indicate the present and future role of analytical microscopy in furthering the understanding of these processes.