Effect of Dexamethasone on the Expression of Aquaporin 8 in Human Wish Cells

Objective To explore the effect of dexamethasone(DEX) on the expression of aquaporin 8 (AQP8) in human Wish cells. Methods Human Wish cells were cultured, then were treated with Dexamethasone for 48 hours at the concentration of 1 μg/mL, 10 μg/mL, 20 μg/mL, 40 μg/mL, 100 μg/mL(the test group). Human Wish cells were not treatment with Dexamethasone as the control group. The variation expression of aquaporin 8 mRNA and protein in Wish cells were observed by immunofluoresecnce chemistry, RT-PCR and Western blot. Results The expression of aquaporin 8 mRNA and aquaporin 8 protein in the test group was increased compared with those in the control group. When the concentration of dexamethasone was 40 μg/mL, the expression of aquaporin 8 mRNA and protein was in the peak and had a significant difference compared with that in the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion Dexamethasone could increase the expression of aquaporin 8 mRNA and aquaporin 8 protein in human Wish cells, and provide a new way for treating abnormal capacity of amniotic fluid. Key words: dexamethasone; aquaporin 8; human Wish cells; amniotic fluid volume regulation