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Recent evidence has implicated the involvement of aquaporins (AQPs) in cellular functions that are unrelated to transepithelial water transport. Although AQPs are expressed in the gastrointestinal tract, their importance has so far been unclear. AQP3 is a water/glycerol transporter expressed at the basolateral membrane of colonic epithelial cells. The aim of this study was to investigate the involvement of AQP3 in enterocyte proliferation using mouse models of inflammatory bowel disease.

Expression and function of AQP3 in mouse colonic epithelium were established. Colitis was induced in wild-type and AQP3 null mice by oral dextran sulphate administration or intracolonic acetic acid administration. Outcome measures included clinical disease severity, survival, pathology and cellular responses. Some mice were administered glycerol to test whether disease progression could be altered …