Positive control for necrosis/apoptosis - (Oct/19/2009 )

Wich positive controls would you more likely use if you have to check the effects of a certain antineoplastic drug on a cancer cell line, for necrotic and/or apoptotic cell death?

I have seen used Camptothecin or H2O2 for apoptosis, and Triton x100 or heat ( 44 degrees) for 90 min for necrosis.

Do you have any suggestion?

As apoptotic control you can use Staurosporine at 1 or 2 micromolar. H2O2 induces necrotic cell death or apoptotic depens on the cell type and concentration. Is not really known but in our lab we have observed in L929 and Jurkat always necrosis. Depending on your cell line you could use also TNFalpha in presence of cycloheximide as apoptotic inducer for extrinsic pathway. However camptothecin is good because it causes apoptosis since produce DNA damage inhibiting topoisomerase.
Heath is used for accidental necrosis, of course produce necrosis, but you will not be able to inhibit whit anything instead of H2O2 which can be induced by necrostatin-1.
Good luck with your experiments!