The intrinsic pathway is activated by a variety of intracellular stress signals, such as DNA damage, oxidative stress, and cytokine deprivation. These signals lead to the activation of pro-apoptotic members of the Bcl-2 family, like Bax and Bak. Once activated, Bax and Bak oligomerize and form pores in the mitochondrial outer membrane, resulting in the release of cytochrome c into the cytoplasm.
