Why lysosomes were called suicidal bags???

Initially De Duve observed that hydrolytic enzymes of lysosomes are capable of digesting the entire cell. So, he named them suicidal bags. Later on, it was found that leaked enzymes of lysosomes become inactive in the neutral pH of cytosol. Lysosomal enzymes can degrade only a aged cell (i.e. a cell which has undergone ageing) or which is useless for the human body, like 110-120 day old RBC. So, the action is actually not “suicide” but is apoptotic. It is also important to note that pH of cytosol of an aged cell starts reducing from 7.2 gradually.

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