Expression of aquaporin-3 (AQP3) in placentas from pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia

Recently, we have reported that the blocking of AQP3 abrogates the apoptotic response of the trophoblast. Since trophoblast apoptosis is exacerbated in preeclampsia, we hypothesized that placental AQP3 is increased in these placentas in order to trigger the programmed cell death. Here, we examined mRNA levels, protein expression and localization of AQP3 in placentas from pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia and against what we expected, we found that AQP3 expression was significantly reduced, both at protein and mRNA levels, compared to normal placentas. In the light of our results, further studies are required to evaluate whether the decreased expression of AQP3 might be an adaptive response of the placenta to reduce the trophoblast apoptosis, which is related to the clinical manifestations of preeclampsia.