Progress of aquaporin-4 and its effect on cerebral edema

Aquaporin-4 (AQP4) is a family member of water-channel proteins and is abundant in the central nervous system, which is dominantly expressed in the foot process of glial cells surrounding capillaries.Physiologically, AQP4 is densely expressed in the parenchyma and cerebrospinal fluid-blood junction, allowing water to flow from high to low along the osmotic and hydrostatic gradients.Accumulating evidences have suggested that the dysregulation of aquaporin-4 relates to the brain edema resulting from a variety of neuro-disorders, such as ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke, trauma, etc.In this review, we introduce our latest findings about the research results of AQP4 in recent years, and summarize the role of AQP4 in cerebral edema, which provides a theoretical basis and reference for the treatment of cerebral edema and many neurological diseases. Key words: Aquaporin-4; Brain edema; Cerebral hemorrhage; Cerebral ischemia; Trauma