title: Aquaporins and Brain Tumors.
abstract: Brain primary tumors are among the most diverse and complex human cancers, and they are normally classified on the basis of the cell-type and/or the grade of malignancy (the most malignant being glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), grade IV). Glioma cells are able to migrate throughout the brain and to stimulate angiogenesis, by inducing brain capillary endothelial cell proliferation. This in turn causes loss of tight junctions and fragility of the blood-brain barrier, which becomes leaky. As a consequence, the most serious clinical complication of glioblastoma is the vasogenic brain edema. Both glioma cell migration and edema have been correlated with modification of the expression/localization of different isoforms of aquaporins (AQPs), a family of water channels, some of which are also involved in the transport of other small molecules, such as glycerol and urea. In this review, we discuss relationships among expression/localization of AQPs and brain tumors/edema, also focusing on the possible role of these molecules as both diagnostic biomarkers of cancer progression, and therapeutic targets. Finally, we will discuss the possibility that AQPs, together with other cancer promoting factors, can be exchanged among brain cells via extracellular vesicles (EVs).
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences (BIONEC), University of Palermo, Palermo I-90127, Italy. rosario.maugeri1977@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Rosario
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Maugeri
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies (STEBICEF), University of Palermo (UNIPA), Palermo I-90128, Italy. gabriella.schiera@unipa.it.
authors.forename: Gabriella
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schiera
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies (STEBICEF), University of Palermo (UNIPA), Palermo I-90128, Italy. carlomaria.diliegro@unipa.it.
authors.forename: Carlo Maria
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Di Liegro
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences (BIONEC), University of Palermo, Palermo I-90127, Italy. anna.fricano@unipa.it.|Department of Biological Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies (STEBICEF), University of Palermo (UNIPA), Palermo I-90128, Italy. anna.fricano@unipa.it.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fricano
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences (BIONEC), University of Palermo, Palermo I-90127, Italy. gerardo.iacopino@unipa.it.
authors.forename: Domenico Gerardo
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Iacopino
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences (BIONEC), University of Palermo, Palermo I-90127, Italy. italia.diliegro@unipa.it.
authors.forename: Italia
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Di Liegro
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier / Q000378:metabolism; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D005909:Glioblastoma / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor
keywords: aquaporins (AQPs); blood–brain barrier (BBB); brain tumors; extracellular vesicles (EVs); glioblastoma multiforme