Expert: Dana Krempels, Ph.D. - 10/1/2008

Question
When a cell is deprived of oxygen for a extended amount of time is there ever a time when the cell dies or could die?

Answer
Dear Eric,

It depends on the type of cell.  There are some anaerobic bacteria that will die if exposed to oxygen, though most cells existing now require oxygen for metabolism and survival.

Yes, the cells of aerobic organisms can die from lack of oxygen.  But the specific time it takes to die depends on the type of cell as well as the environmental conditions in which the cell is anaerobic.  It can be a matter of minutes, or a matter of hours.

This is of great interest to medical science, where scientists are just now discovering that re-oxygenating a body that has been deprived of oxygen too quickly can actually *promote* apoptosis (programmed cell death) and kill the patient.  Experimental work at getting such a person into a very hypothermic state and then *gradually* reintroducing oxygen shows great promise in saving lives.

Hope this helps.

Dana