[Significance of aquaporin-1 and aquaporin-3 expression in colorectal carcinoma].

Objective: To investigate the significance of aquaporin-1(AQP-1) and aquaporin-3(AQP-3) in the development of colorectal carcinoma.

Methods: The expression of AQP-1 and AQP-3 was investigated using immunohistochemical staining with Streptavidin Peroxidase in tissues from colorectal adenoma (CRA, n=25), colorectal cancer (CRC, n=50), and adjacent mucosa (CRT, n=50).

Results: The positive rate of AQP-1 was 64%(32/50) in CRC, significantly higher than that in CRT (38%, 19/50) and CRA(32%, 8/25)(P<0.05). The expression of AQP-1 was associated with depth of invasion and lymph node metastasis in CRC patients(P<0.05). The positive rate of AQP-3 was 56% in CRT, 44% in CRA, and 52% in CRC. There were no significant differences (P>0.05). The expression of AQP-3 was associated with age, tumor diameter, and depth of invasion (P<0.05). No significant correlation between the expression of AQP-1 and AQP-3 in CRC was shown by Spearman correlation analysis(P>0.05).

Conclusions: AQP-1 expression is increased in CRC while the expression of AQP-3 is not. There is no correlation between the expression of AQP-1 and AQP-3 in CRC.