BACKGROUND: Systemic lupus erythematosus is a chronic, multisystemic, inflammatory disease. Aquaporins, a group of transmembrane channels, are known to help prime immune cells and their migration. In this study, a qRT-PCR analysis was performed to identify aquaporins whose expression in SLE patients was associated with the inflammatory profile of B cells. METHODS: A stable and healthy line of B cells was cultured and subjected to plasma obtained from SLE patients or healthy individuals for 1 week. Subsequently, gene expression was assessed using real-time PCR. RESULTS: The findings showed that B cells treated with SLE plasma had different expression profiles of inflammatory genes, including TNF-α, IFN-γ, CD40, TNFSF13B, and TNFRSF13C. The study also revealed abnormal expression patterns of aquaporins (AQP3, AQP6, AQP8, and AQP9) in the SLE-treated group. Among the genes, AQP3, AQP6, AQP8, AQP9, and AQP11 were differently correlated with the inflammatory phenotype of B cells. These genes may play a role in the pathogenesis of SLE by affecting B cell proliferation, regulation, inflammation, and cytokine processing. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that plasma of SLE patients can induce the inflammatory phenotype of B lymphocytes and the expression of key aquaporin genes, which could impact the development of SLE.