miRNA调控异常导致的caspase凋亡通路受阻是良性前列腺增生（BPH）发病的重要机制。前列宁胶囊是福建中医药大学附属人民医院院内制剂，治疗BPH疗效确切。课题组在前两个国家基金资助下研究发现，前列宁胶囊能够调节caspase内源性凋亡通路相关基因的表达从而诱导BPH细胞凋亡；进一步研究发现前列宁胶囊能够调控多个与凋亡相关的miRNA，提示前列宁胶囊通过调控miRNA而激活caspase凋亡通路可能是其治疗BPH的重要作用机制。本课题在此基础上拟以BPH动物及细胞模型为研究对象，运用分子克隆、细胞转染、real-time PCR、western blot等技术研究前列宁胶囊对miRNA及其调控的caspase凋亡通路和相关靶基因表达的影响，进一步系统而深入地从表观遗传学的角度阐明前列宁胶囊治疗BPH的作用机制，明确前列宁胶囊治疗BPH 的作用靶点，为前列宁胶囊的临床应用奠定理论基础。

Deregulation of miRNA impairs the caspase-mediated apoptosis, which therefore is strongly correlated with the pathogenesis and development of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Qianliening capsule （QC）is a hospital preparation at the affiliated hospital of Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. QC has been shown to be effective in the clinical treatment of BPH. From our previous studies supported by the Nature Science Foundation of China, we found that QC could promote BPH cell apoptosis via regulating the expression of some target gene of caspase apototic pathway. Furthermore, QC could modulate the expression of multiple apoptosis-related miRNAs, suggesting that QC treats BPH probably through regulation of miRNA leading to the caspase activation. To further investigate the pathogenesis of BPH and the precise molecular mechanisms of QC's therapeutic activity, in present project we will set up BPH animal and cell models, analyze the miRNA-mediated caspase apototic pathway and its downstrem target gene expression. Our findings in this project will provide new insight into the molecular mechanism of pathogenesis of BPH, as well as fully elucidate the mechanism of action of how QC treats BPH, providing theoretic foundation for QC's clinical application.