Objective:To study the effect of adriamycin(ADR) as therapeutic agent inducing rabbit posterior capsular lens epithelial cell apoptosis and to assess the relationships between P53

Bcl-2 after lens extracapsular extraction.Methods:Twelve rabbit eyes were injected with 0.2mg ADR(0.4mg·L -1 ) during lens extracapsular extraction performed respectively in the third week and the eighth week after the operation.With TdT-mediated dUTP nick end labeling(TUNEL)and immunohistochemical(SABC) staining.The protein expression cell rate of P53 and Bcl-2 were detected.Results:Positive pericyte muclei labeled by TUNEL increased more significantly than those in the control guoup from the third week to the eighth week after the operation.P53 protein expression was significantly higher(P<0.01) and Bcl-2 protein expression was significantly lower(P<0.05) than those in the control group in the third week and the eighth week after the opreration.Conclusion:ADR-induced rabit posterior capsular lens epithelial cell apoptosis

P53 protein expression is higher and Bcl-2 protein espression is lower in ADR group eyes.P53 and Bcl-2 may play an important role in modulatong the lens epithelial cell apoptosis.