Possible Role of NGAL as an Early Renal Biomarker

The incidence of acute kidney injury(AKI) in critically ill patients is currently increasing [1]. Even though serum creatinine (sCr) is currently used for AKI diagnosis, it is an insensitive and unreliable marker during acute alterations of renal function [2]. The lack of an early biomarker is an obstacle for the development of new preventive strategies and timely interventions against AKI [2]. Recent research for novel biomarkers with early diagnostic and/or prognostic value has revealed several candidates, including neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin(NGAL) [3, 4], cystatin C(CysC) [5, 6], kidney injury molecule 1 (KIM-1) [7], and interleukin 18(IL-18) [8–11], with NGAL being the most promising so far.