The Update of NGAL in Acute Kidney Injury

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is one of the most common complications of various serious conditions, and early diagnosis is therefore critical for the treatment of AKI. Increase of the classic AKI biochemical markers such as serum creatinine is not evident until renal function is irreversibly damaged, which adds to the difficulties of early identification of AKI and results in an increase of the mortality rate. In order to improve the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis prediction of AKI, novel early markers of AKI are required. Recent evidence demonstrates that neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) is closely associated with AKI. Several experimental and clinical studies have shown that the expression of urine and serum NGAL increases significantly in AKI. In particular, the urine NGAL level is closely associated with the severity of kidney injury, and could be detected earlier than other AKI markers. Therefore, NGAL shows potential to be a new effective early biochemical marker of AKI. Further studies are needed to confirm the significant advantages of NGAL in the diagnosis of early AKI and its value in clinical applications.