细胞可以因被其他细胞吞噬而死亡 - 这是细胞死亡的一种形式，被称为吞噬营养作用、细胞自噬、程序化细胞清除和原始吞噬作用。然而，这些都是吞噬作用导致的细胞死亡的不同表现形式（简称为“吞噬死亡”）。被吞噬的细胞死亡是由酸性吞噬溶酶体内的细胞毒性氧化物、肽和降解酶引起的。吞噬作用导致的细胞死亡是由Metchnikov在19世纪80年代发现的，但直到最近才受到关注。现在已知它对线虫、果蝇和哺乳动物的发育性细胞死亡有贡献，并且是先天和适应性免疫对抗病原体的核心过程。吞噬作用导致的细胞死亡介导了红细胞和其他白细胞的生理性更新，使其成为哺乳动物体内最常见的细胞死亡形式。免疫系统对抗癌症也部分通过巨噬细胞吞噬癌细胞进行介导，但癌细胞也可以吞噬宿主细胞和其他癌细胞以求生存。最近的证据表明，神经退行性病变和其他神经病理学可能是由小胶质细胞吞噬受损神经元引起的。因此，尽管吞噬作用引起的细胞死亡很少被认可，但它是细胞死亡的最古老、最常见和最重要的形式之一。© 2023. Springer Nature Limited.

Cells can die as a consequence of being phagocytosed by other cells - a form of cell death that has been called phagotrophy, cell cannibalism, programmed cell removal and primary phagocytosis. However, these are all different manifestations of cell death by phagocytosis (termed 'phagoptosis' for short). The engulfed cells die as a result of cytotoxic oxidants, peptides and degradative enzymes within acidic phagolysosomes. Cell death by phagocytosis was discovered by Metchnikov in the 1880s, but was neglected until recently. It is now known to contribute to developmental cell death in nematodes, Drosophila and mammals, and is central to innate and adaptive immunity against pathogens. Cell death by phagocytosis mediates physiological turnover of erythrocytes and other leucocytes, making it the most abundant form of cell death in the mammalian body. Immunity against cancer is also partly mediated by macrophage phagocytosis of cancer cells, but cancer cells can also phagocytose host cells and other cancer cells in order to survive. Recent evidence indicates neurodegeneration and other neuropathologies can be mediated by microglial phagocytosis of stressed neurons. Thus, despite cell death by phagocytosis being poorly recognized, it is one of the oldest, commonest and most important forms of cell death.© 2023. Springer Nature Limited.