Plasma neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) correlations with cystatin C, serum creatinine, and glomerular filtration rate in patients after heart and lung transplantation.
OBJECTIVE
Kidney injury represents a major clinical problem in orthotopic heart transplant (OHT) patients which seriously increases the mortality rate. The aim of this work was to evaluate the utility of a new kidney damage marker-neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL)-and its correlations with cystatin C, creatinine, and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) among patients after heart or lung transplantation.


METHODS
We examined serum samples from 71 patients after heart transplantation, 7 patients after lung transplantation, and 20 healthy controls to measure serum NGAL using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method; cystatin C using latex immunonephelometry; and creatinine using the alkaline-picrate method.


RESULTS
Serum NGAL levels were significantly elevated among transplant patients, but did not significantly correlate with cystatin C in the transplant group (R = .13; P = .11) or in the control group (R = .26; P = .26), or GFR in the transplant group (R = -.09; P = .25) or in the control cohort (R = .22; P = .36). In the transplant group, serum NGAL positively correlated with serum creatinine (R = .27; P = .001).


CONCLUSIONS
Plasma NGAL was not a specific biomarker for monitoring chronic renal disorders. We did not exclude other pathologies that might contribute to increased serum NGAL levels.
Szewczyk
M
M
Silesian Center for Heart Diseases, ul. Szpitalna 2, 41-800 Zabrze, Poland. m.szewczyk@sccs.pl
Wielkoszyński
T
T
Zakliczyński
M
M
Zembala
M
M
D000209:Acute-Phase Proteins; D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D003404:Creatinine / Q000097:blood*; D055316:Cystatin C / Q000097:blood*; D005919:Glomerular Filtration Rate; D016027:Heart Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology; D000071068:Lipocalin-2; D054834:Lipocalins / Q000097:blood*; D016040:Lung Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D012016:Reference Values
D000209:Acute-Phase Proteins; D015415:Biomarkers; D055316:Cystatin C; C489506:LCN2 protein, human; D000071068:Lipocalin-2; D054834:Lipocalins; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D003404:Creatinine