CASP3 and osteoarthritis: In Sprague Dawley rats whose osteoarthritis was surgically induced, resulting in severe cartilage damage, AQP1 expression was positively correlated with caspase-3 expression and activity, suggesting that AQP1 triggers caspase-3 activation, contributing to chondrocyte apoptosis and, consequently, to the development of osteoarthritis [56,57].