The volume of oviductal fluid fluctuates during the estrous cycle, suggesting that water availability is under hormonal control. It has been postulated that sex-steroid hormones may regulate aquaporin (AQP) channels involved in water movement across cell membranes. Using a functional assay (oocytes of Xenopus laevis), we demonstrated that the rat oviductal epithelium contains mRNAs coding for w...

PURPOSE High intake of dietary salt increases extracellular osmolarity, which results in hypertension, a risk factor of neovascular age-related macular degeneration. Neovascular retinal diseases are associated with edema. Various factors and channels, including vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and aquaporins (AQPs), influence neovascularization and the development of edema. Therefore, ...

Intratracheal infection of mice with adenovirus is associated with subsequent pulmonary inflammation and edema. Water movement through the air space-capillary barrier in the distal lung is facilitated by aquaporins (AQPs). To investigate the possibility that distal lung AQPs undergo altered regulation under conditions of aberrant fluid handling in the lung, we analyzed messenger RNA (mRNA) and ...

We investigated the role of keratinocyte growth factor (KGF) in regulation of alveolar epithelial cell (AEC) phenotype in vitro. Effects of KGF on cell morphology, expression of surfactant apoproteins A, B, and C (SP-A, -B, and -C), and expression of aquaporin 5 (AQP5), a water channel present in situ on the apical surface of alveolar type I (AT1) cells but not expressed in alveolar type II (AT...

PURPOSE To verify the hypothesis that protein concentrations, such as lactoferrin, epidermal growth factor (EGF), and aquaporin 5 (AQP5), in tears are abnormal in patients with dry eye. DESIGN Prospective case-control study. METHODS One hundred three dry eye patients were divided into three groups: dry eye not associated with the Sjögren syndrome (non-SS; n = 71), Sjögren syndrome (SS; n = ...

Radiation-induced lung toxicity (RILT), leading to radiation pneumonia or fibrosis, is a primary problem of radiation therapy. The pathogenesis of RILT remains unclear. In this study, we used a rat model of RILT to examine the expression of aquaporins (AQPs) after radiation injury. Sprague Dawley rats were given a single dose of 17 Gy (dose rate of 3.0 Gy/min) of X-irradiation to the thorax. Ra...

Aquaporin (AQP) water channels are expressed in a variety of fluid-transporting epithelia and are likely to play a significant role in salivary secretion. Our aim was to identify and localize the aquaporins expressed in human salivary glands. Total RNA was extracted from human parotid, submandibular, sublingual, and labial glands and from human brain. Expression of aquaporin mRNA was assessed b...

INTRODUCTION Pulmonary fibrosis occurs due to fibroblast proliferation and collagen production in the lung and begins with alveolar inflammatory edema. Aquaporins (AQPs) play pivotal roles in lung fluid transport. In this study we establish the experimental model for pulmonary fibrosis in C57BL/6 mice to investigate expressions of AQP1 and AQP5 in lung tissue. MATERIAL AND METHODS Mice in mod...

Circadian rhythms are essential for health and regulate various physiological functions. These rhythms are regulated by a negative-feedback loop involving clock genes in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) and peripheral tissues. The rate of secretion of salivary substances, ions, and water follows a circadian rhythm, however, the relationship between the molecular mechanism of salivary secretion...

The relationship between aquaporin (AQP) 5 and mucin (MUC) 5AC in the conjunctiva was investigated in response to acute dry eye (DE) stress. A mixed-mechanism rabbit DE model, in which the main lacrimal gland, Harderian gland, and nictitating membrane were resected, was further explored in this study. Conjunctival impression cytology specimens were harvested before excision (BE) and up to 3 mon...