水通道蛋白(aquaporins,AQPs)是一族表达于细胞膜上,对水分子高效通透的特异性孔道 蛋白,其在全身广泛分布,与多个生物过程关系密切,同时也与较多神经系统疾病的发生发展存在 联系。AQPs与中枢神经系统内的液体流动、能量代谢、神经修复与发生、血脑屏障的发育与稳定、 信号转导以及CSF的产生与循环密切相关。AQPs还与脑水肿、阿尔茨海默病、视神经脊髓炎、原 发性颅内高压及帕金森病等中枢神经系统疾病的发生发展有关。在中枢神经系统中,虽然已经发 现较多种类的AQPs存在,但研究成果主要集中于AQP1、AQP4及AQP9三个水通道蛋白上。对 于AQPs的研究有助于加深中枢神经系统的认识,并提供疾病的潜在治疗靶点。本文综述了 AQPs在中枢神经系统的表达分布、调节机制、生理功能及其与中枢神经系统疾病的关联,为相关 神经科学研究提供新思路。

Aquaporins (AQPs) are a family of water channels predominantly expressed on cell membranes. They are widely distributed throughout the human body and play crucial roles in multiple biological processes, such as homeostasis maintenance. Additionally, AQPs are actively involved in the pathophysiological processes of neurological disorders. They are closely associated with fluid movement, cerebrospinal fluid circulation, energy metabolism, signal transduction, neurogenesis, neural regeneration, and the development and stabilization of the blood-brain barrier within the central nervous system (CNS), contributing to the onset and progression of various CNS diseases, including cerebral edema, Alzheimer's disease, neuromyelitis optica, intracranial hypertension, and Parkinson's disease. So far, multiple types of AQPs have been identified in the CNS, with research attention mainly devoted to AQP1, AQP4, and AQP9. The study of AQPs is instrumental in deepening our understanding of CNS and providing potential therapeutic targets for associated diseases. This article demonstrates the physiological distribution of AQPs in the CNS, their regulatory mechanisms, physiological functions, and their associations with CNS diseases, offering novel insights for relevant neuroscientific research.