Abstract
Aquaporins are a family of transmembrane proteins permeable to water. In mammals, they are subdivided into classical aquaporins that are permeable to water; aquaglyceroporins that are permeable to water, glycerol and urea; peroxiporins that facilitate the diffusion of H2O2 through cell membranes; and so called unorthodox aquaporins. Aquaporins ensure important physiological functions in both exocrine and endocrine pancreas. Indeed, they are involved in pancreatic fluid secretion and insulin secretion. Modification of aquaporin expression and/or subcellular localization may be involved in the pathogenesis of pancreatic insufficiencies, diabetes and pancreatic cancer. Aquaporins may represent useful drug targets for the treatment of pathophysiological conditions affecting pancreatic function, and/or diagnostic/predictive biomarker for pancreatic cancer. This review summarizes the current knowledge related to the involvement of aquaporins in the pancreas physiology and physiopathology.
Highlights
Pancreas is a gland with endocrine and exocrine function and represents a key organ for overall body homeostasis
Exocrine pancreatic acinar and ductal cells ensure pancreatic fluid secretion composed of water, ions and enzymes involved in food digestion [2]
AQPs are expressed in both endocrine and exocrine pancreas and ensure important physiological functions related to insulin secretion and pancreatic fluid secretion [9,10,11,12,13,14]
Summary
Pancreas is a gland with endocrine and exocrine function and represents a key organ for overall body homeostasis. AQPs are expressed in both endocrine and exocrine pancreas and ensure important physiological functions related to insulin secretion and pancreatic fluid secretion [9,10,11,12,13,14]. Thereby, AQPs are expressed in a wide range of tissues and organs participating to fluid secretion and/or absorption (such as kidneys, lungs, eyes, central nervous system and exocrine glands including pancreas), in glycerol metabolism (such as adipose tissue, liver, heart and endocrine pancreas) and in a wide variety of cancer cells. This review summarizes the current knowledge on the expression and functions of AQPs in both endocrine and exocrine pancreas, as well as the current potential interest to use AQPs as new useful tools for diagnosis, prognosis and treatment for pancreatic-related diseases and pancreatic cancers
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