ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the expression and significance of caspase-1 in normal and hyperplastic prostate tissues.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Twenty-eight paraffin-embedded sections, including 21 benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and 7 normal prostate tissue samples, were investigated immunohistochemically for caspase-1.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The rate of caspase-1 expression in the BPH tissues was 71.4% (15/21 ) while that in the normal prostate tissues was 100%. The expression level of caspase-1 in both epithelial cells and interstitial cells of the hyperplastic prostate tissues was obviously lower than that of the normal prostate tissues (P < 0.01). Within the BPH tissues, the expression level of caspase-1 in the epithelial cells was higher than in the interstitial cells, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The expression of caspase-1 is dramatically reduced in the hyperplastic prostate tissues, which indicates that the decline of caspase-1-dependent apoptosis might be involved in the progress of benign prostatic hyperplasia.</p>