What is NGAL?

The full name of NGAL is human lipocalin 2 (Ln2) or siderocalin. It belongs to the lipocalin family and is the earliest proposed marker of acute kidney injury (AKI).

What is the clinical significance of NGAL?

1. NGAL is a marker of acute kidney injury (AKI)

When AKI occurs, NGAL rises rapidly in a very short period of time, and the most obvious is 2h. Serum creatinine (sCr), urinary enzymes, etc. often increase significantly after 24 to 72 hours. At this time, the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) has decreased significantly, and NGAL can change before GFR decreases, so it is suitable for early diagnosis of AKI.

At the same time, the increase in NGAL concentration is closely related to the duration of AKI, the severity of kidney injury (RIFLE classification), and the treatment effect and prognosis.

2、Can predict the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD), especially diabetic nephropathy

Studies have found that NGAL may be involved in the occurrence and development of diabetes as an inflammatory factor. In diabetic nephropathy, renal tubule damage may be earlier than glomerulus. As a marker of early renal tubular damage, NGAL can reflect renal function damage in diabetic patients (especially type 2 diabetes) before urinary microalbumin (mALB).

3、NGAL also has a certain relationship with tumors

Data from different laboratories indicate that the concentration level of NGAL is related to a variety of tumors. It promotes cell proliferation by uptake of iron ions and helps tumor cell growth and infiltration. It is related to tumor cachexia and has become an independent predictor of poor prognosis for patients with cachexia.

Compared with traditional projects, what are the advantages of NGAL?

When AKI occurs, NGAL rises rapidly in a very short time.

The following figure shows the time of increase in the concentration of various markers after the occurrence of AKI:

Therefore, testing NGAL can buy more time for AKI patients and grasp the best time for treatment.

What are the clinical applications of NGAL?

Due to the excellent predictive and diagnostic value of NGAL in AKI, the detection of NGAL can be increased in clinical situations that easily cause AKI.

· Routine monitoring after major surgery

· Monitoring of ICU patients

· Triage of conditions in the emergency department

· Early diagnosis of AKI caused by infection and sepsis

· Contrast nephropathy (CIN) monitoring after interventional therapy......

NGAL is also an evaluation index of chronic kidney disease, so it can also be used to predict the progression of chronic kidney disease and early detection of kidney damage in patients with diabetic nephropathy.

The neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin assay kit provided by Biotime uses fluorescence immunochromatography, which is easy to operate and results in 10 minutes.

Product Name：NGAL Rapid Quantitative Test

Link: https://www.xiamenbiotime.com/ngal-rapid-quantitative-test_p60.html