Aquaporin 1 (AQP1), which is a water channel protein, has been demonstrated to have an important role in cell proliferation and migration of various cancers. However, its specific role in ovarian cancer remains to be elucidated. The present study demonstrated that AQP1 expression was elevated in the majority of patients with ovarian cancer compared with normal ovarian tissues. In addition, a short interfering (si)RNA targeting AQP1 was established, and transfected into the SKOV3 ovarian cancer cell line, to investigate the effects on cell viability, apoptosis, migration and invasion in the ovarian cancer cells using an MTT assay, flow cytometry, wound healing and Transwell invasion chamber assays, respectively. The results of the present study demonstrated that siRNA targeting AQP1 effectively downregulated AQP1 expression at the mRNA and protein levels, markedly suppressed cell viability, migration and invasion and promoted apoptosis of ovarian cancers cells. These results suggested that AQP1 may serve as a novel target for ovarian cancer treatment in the future.

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