Necroptosis: A Regulated Form of Cell Death Inhibited by Necrostatins

For many years, necrosis was considered an uncontrolled form of cell death. However, the discovery of small molecules called 'necrostatins' has revolutionized the field of cell death research. Necrostatins inhibit receptor-interacting protein kinase 1 (RIPK1), a key protein involved in the signaling pathway of necroptosis, a regulated form of necrosis. This discovery demonstrated that necrosis can be programmed and is not always an accidental event. Degterev et al. (2005, 2008) showed that necrostatins could induce necroptosis in TNFα-treated cells, highlighting the importance of RIPK1 in this process.