Relationship Between Aquaporins and "Kidney Governing Water" Theory / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ABSTRACT

Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） theory holds that "kidney governing water" plays a leading role in maintaining the metabolism of water and fluid in the body. The opening and closing of kidney qi determines the distribution， retention， and excretion of water and fluid. The treatment of some diseases caused by the imbalance of water and fluid metabolism is often carried out based on the kidney. Aquaporins are channel proteins that specifically transport water. They act as a regulator of intracellular and intercellular water flow and maintain the dynamic balance of water and fluid. Because of the differences in their location and expression， they have different physiological functions. Numerous studies have shown that aquaporins are widely distributed in the kidney， and their altered expression is of important significance to reveal the imbalance of water and fluid metabolism caused by different diseases. Doctors of all dynasties have accumulated rich experience in the continuous exploration of TCM regulating water and fluid metabolism disorders. TCM has the unique advantages of holistic view involving multiple pathways， components， and targets， and has achieved satisfactory regulatory effect， but the specific mechanism of action is not fully revealed. Therefore， this study explored the internal correlation of "kidney governing water"， the expression of aquaporins， and water and fluid metabolism disorders， summarized the regulatory effect and mechanism of Chinese medicinal extract， single Chinese medicine， and Chinese medicinal compound on water and fluid metabolism disorder， and interpreted the scientific connotation of "kidney governing water"， in order to provide new ideas and new directions for the TCM treatment of diseases due to water and fluid metabolism disorders.