The authors have studied DNA base damage and activities of antioxidant enzymes in human benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) tissues and surrounding disease-free tissues removed from prostate glands of 15 patients. In these tissues, endogenous levels of various typical hydroxyl radical-induced products of DNA bases and activities of catalase and superoxide dismutase were measured. The majority of patients had higher levels of DNA base lesions and lower activities of enzymes in BPH tissues than in normal prostate tissues. When activities of both enzymes were lower in BPH tissues than in normal tissues, the increases in the amounts of DNA base lesions over control levels were most prominent. In the case of similar enzyme activities in both BPH and normal tissues, no changes in levels of DNA base lesions were observed. These results suggest a possible association between antioxidant enzyme activities and levels of DNA base lesions in BPH tissues. Some of the identified DNA lesions are known to be premutagenic and may play a role in carcinogenesis. Although a possible link between BPH and prostate cancer is controversial, BPH patients with both decreased antioxidant enzyme activities and increased levels of DNA lesions may be at risk of developing prostate cancer.