To investigate the significance of aquaporin-1(AQP-1) and aquaporin-3(AQP-3) in the development of colorectal carcinoma.The expression of AQP-1 and AQP-3 was investigated using immunohistochemical staining with Streptavidin Peroxidase in tissues from colorectal adenoma (CRA, n=25), colorectal cancer (CRC, n=50), and adjacent mucosa (CRT, n=50).The positive rate of AQP-1 was 64%(32/50) in CRC, significantly higher than that in CRT (38%, 19/50) and CRA(32%, 8/25)(P0.05). The expression of AQP-3 was associated with age, tumor diameter, and depth of invasion (P0.05).AQP-1 expression is increased in CRC while the expression of AQP-3 is not. There is no correlation between the expression of AQP-1 and AQP-3 in CRC.