Table 2.

The difference between pyroptosis and apoptotic cell death based on morphological changes, molecular mechanism, regulation, and mitochondrial participation.

	Pyroptosis	Apoptosis
Morphological Changes	Cell shrinkage. Maintenance of the integrity of the plasma membrane. Formation of membrane blebs. Degradation of genomic DNA.	Cellular enlargement and subsequent rupture. Breakdown of the plasma membrane. Breakage of DNA. Generation of pores in the plasma membrane. Maintenance preservation of nuclear integrity. Occurrence of nuclear condensation.
Molecular Mechanism	Absence of an inflammatory reaction. Generation of apoptosome and liberation of Cytochrome-C. Activation of Caspases 8, 9, 3, 6, and 7. Activation of pro-apoptotic BCL-2 and DISC proteins.	Inflammatory cell death. Development of an inflammasome and activation of gasdermins. Activation of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and interleukin-18 (IL-18). Activation of GSDME and NLRP3 inflammasome, via canonical and non-canonical routes.
Regulation	The apoptotic cell death occurs when the ubiquitination of RIPK1 is inhibited, leading to the formation of a complex between RIPK1, FADD, and pro-caspase-8. This complex activates caspase-8, which then cleaves RIPK1, ultimately resulting in the apoptotic cell death.	NLRP3 and other proteins are regulated by post-translational phosphorylation and ubiquitylation modifications.
Mitochondrial Participation	The release of Cytochrome-C from mitochondria and the subsequent generation of apoptotic bodies.	Mitochondria are engaged in the control of gasdermin D oligomerization and the consequent development of pores in the plasma membrane.