AQP1 plays an essential role in maintaining body water balance. In the kidney, AQP1 is localized to the apical and basolateral membrane of epithelial cells in the proximal tubule and descending thin limb of Ansa nephroni (Henle’s loop) where it reabsorbs the vast majority of filtered water. The growing epidemic of obesity and metabolic diseases particularly obesity-related kidney disease is getting more and more attention in this century. However, a full understanding of mechanisms involved to the progressive renal disease is still unclear, in particular AQPs in the kidney of obesity. In this paper, we examined the localization of AQP1 in renal cortex and medulla of ND (normal diet) and HFD (high-fat diet) at rats. In the renal cortex and medulla, immunolight microscopy revealed weak expression of AQP1 in the apical and basolateral membrane of epithelial cells at the proximal straight/convoluted tubule of HFD compared with ND, respectively. The same result was confirmed in the thick descending limb and descending thin limb of Henle’s loop. In the high-fat nutritional obesity of rats, decreased AQP1 levels may not directly cause serious obesity-related kidney disease, e.g. chronic kidney disease, even end-stage renal disease. But at least, AQPs (AQP1 in this study) was one of initially conditions to the incentive of obesity-related kidney disease.
KEY WORDS: Obesity; Kidney ; AQP1; Obesity-related kidney disease.
