Caspase-3/CPP32 immunoreactivity and its correlation with frequency of apoptotic bodies in human prostatic carcinomas and benign nodular hyperplasias

Aims: Apoptosis is mediated by apoptosis-specific genes, certain oncogenes and tumour suppressor genes, Caspase-3, a group of cystein proteases, is in volved in the induction of apoptosis and has been considered to correlate w ith apoptosis, The aim of this study was to determine whether caspase-3 is expressed in prostatic carcinoma and benign prostatic hyperplasia, and corr elated with the apoptosis. Methods and results: We studied the apoptotic index and caspase-3 immunorea ctivity in 40 cases of benign nodular hyperplasia (BPH) and 40 cases of pro state carcinoma (PCA) by in-situ Labelling and immunohistochemistry, The me an number of apoptotic: bodies in cases with BPH was not significantly diff erent from cases with PCA I (Gleason score 2-4), but samples from patients with PCA II (Gleason score 5-7) and PCA III (Gleason score 8-10) showed a s ignificantly higher apoptotic number than cases with BPH. Positive staining for caspase-3 was seen in 42.5% (17/40) of the BPH, and 27.5% (11/40) of t he PCA: PCA I was 41.7% (5/12), PCA II 14.3% (2/14) and PCR III was 28.6% ( 4/14), Conclusions: Based on our results, the number of apoptotic bodies was not c orrelated with the caspase-3 expression and there was no relationship betwe en caspase-3 expression and Gleason score. However, the number of apoptotic bodies was significantly higher in cases with intermediate (Gleason score 5-7) and high-grade (Gleason score 8-10) PCAs than cases with BPH and low-g rade PCAs (Gleason score 2-4).