title: Aquaporins in Obesity.
abstract: Obesity is one of the most important metabolic disorders of this century and is associated with a cluster of the most dangerous cardiovascular disease risk factors, such as insulin resistance and diabetes , dyslipidemia and hypertension , collectively named Metabolic Syndrome. The role of aquaporins in glycerol metabolism facilitating glycerol release from the adipose tissue and distribution to various tissues and organs, unveils these membrane channels as important players in lipid balance and energy homeostasis and points to their involvement in a variety of pathophysiological mechanisms including insulin resistance, obesity and diabetes.This review summarizes the physiologic role of aquaglyceroporins in glycerol metabolism and lipid homeostasis, describing their specific tissue distribution, their involvement in glycerol balance and their implication in obesity and fat-related metabolic complications. The development of specify pharmacologic modulators able to regulate aquaglyceroporins expression and function , in particular AQP7 in adipose tissue, might constitute a novel approach for controlling obesity and other metabolic disorders.
authors.affiliation: Research Institute for Medicines (iMed.ULisboa), Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, 1649-003, Portugal.|Department of Bioquimica e Biologia Humana, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.
authors.forename: Inês Vieira
authors.initials: IV
authors.lastname: da Silva
authors.affiliation: Research Institute for Medicines (iMed.ULisboa), Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, 1649-003, Portugal. gsoveral@ff.ulisboa.pt.|Department of Bioquimica e Biologia Humana, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal. gsoveral@ff.ulisboa.pt.
authors.forename: Graça
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Soveral
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D051397:Aquaglyceroporins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D020346:Aquaporins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D005990:Glycerol / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007333:Insulin Resistance; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008264:Macrophages / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: C114141:AQP7 protein, human; D051397:Aquaglyceroporins; D020346:Aquaporins; C508600:IL6 protein, human; D015850:Interleukin-6; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D005990:Glycerol
keywords: Adipose; Aquaglyceroporin; Glycerol