细胞凋亡是研究最广泛的细胞死亡类型，已知在许多过程中发挥着至关重要的作用，例如消除不需要的细胞或细胞碎片、生长、免疫系统的控制和预防恶性肿瘤。细胞凋亡调节缺陷可引发多种疾病和病症，包括癌症、神经系统疾病、自身免疫性疾病和发育障碍。了解化合物诱导的细胞死亡类型的细微差别可以帮助破译哪种疗法对特定疾病更有效。多年来，使用经典方法检测凋亡细胞已经做出了重大贡献，但创新方法正在迅速出现，除了简单的定量之外，还可以更深入地了解其机制。由于灵敏度、时间效率、途径特异性和细胞毒性可忽略不计，这些创新方法在体外和体内研究中都具有巨大的潜力。本综述旨在阐明开发和使用新型纳米方法作为经典细胞凋亡检测技术替代方案的重要性。本期刊版权所有 © 英国皇家化学学会。

Apoptosis, the most extensively studied type of cell death, is known to play a crucial role in numerous processes such as elimination of unwanted cells or cellular debris, growth, control of the immune system, and prevention of malignancies. Defective regulation of apoptosis can trigger various diseases and disorders including cancer, neurological conditions, autoimmune diseases and developmental disorders. Knowing the nuances of the cell death type induced by a compound can help decipher which therapy is more effective for specific diseases. The detection of apoptotic cells using classic methods has brought significant contribution over the years, but innovative methods are quickly emerging and allow more in-depth understanding of the mechanisms, aside from a simple quantification. Due to increased sensitivity, time efficiency, pathway specificity and negligible cytotoxicity, these innovative approaches have great potential for both in vitro and in vivo studies. This review aims to shed light on the importance of developing and using novel nanoscale methods as an alternative to the classic apoptosis detection techniques.This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.