Aquaporins (AQPs) are trans-membrane proteins which allow the movement of water and glycerol required by hepatic stellate cells (HSC) for triglyceride formation and lipid storage. Adiponectin (ADPQ) is a hormone produced by the adipose tissue, which is known to increase AQP3 expression. Since ADPQ receptor signals via the nuclear receptor PPAR we aimed to explore the role of this pathway in AQP3 regulation by ADPQ in HSC. AQP3 and CPTl alpha expression increased only after ADPQ but not rosiglitazone stimulation. In LX2 cells co-transfected with plasmids expressing PPAR alpha or PPAR gamma coupled to a luciferase reporter gene, only PPARa increased luciferase activity after ADPQ stimulation. Collectively, our findings demonstrate that ADPQ increases AQP3 expression through PPAR alpha-mediated signaling in HSC. (C) 2017 Published by Elsevier Inc.