Effect of captopril and paraquat on expression of p53 and Bcl-2 genes and proteins in rat lung tissue using RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry

Paraquat is an herbicide produced and used prevalently worldwide. Studies have shown that lung fibrosis induced by paraquat can be prevented or delayed by certain antioxidants, iron chelating agents, melatonin, and, recently, blood pressure lowering drugs such as captopril. The protective effects of captopril on paraquat toxicity were studied using RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry to determine the gene and protein expression of p53 and Bcl-2 in lung tissue samples from rats treated with captopril before and after exposure to paraquat.