Abstract: In the 1980s Peter Agre found water channel proteins on plasma membranes, and these proteins were named aquaporins (AQPs ). Several evidences have revealed that expression of AQPs in glial cells contributes a lot to neurological diseases. The purpose of this review is to summarize the localization and significance of AQPs expression in glial cells and to provide new targets for diagnosis and treatment of central and peripheral nervous diseases.

Key words: aquaporins, glial cells, nervous system