Calprotectin and Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin As Biomarkers of Acute Kidney Injury in Acute Coronary Syndrome

Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is increasingly being seen in patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) and it is associated with higher short-term and long-term morbidity and mortality. Therefore, it is of paramount importance to identify those ACS patients at risk for the development of AKI. The objective of this study was to evaluate two different plasma biomarkers calprotectin and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) in early detecting the development of AKI in ACS patients. Methods: 172 ACS patients admitted to the Coronary Care Unit in Yantai Yuhuangding Hospital were prospectively enrolled. Their blood samples were obtained on admission and subjected to enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to determine the levels of novel biomarkers. The clinical data and biomarkers were recorded and analyzed. Results: In this study, 23 (13.4%) patients had a diagnosis of AKI. Statistical analysis demonstrated that in ACS patients with AKI, the following two biomarkers were significantly higher than these without AKI: plasma calprotectin (5942.26 +/- 1955.88 ng/mL vs. 3210.29 +/- 1833.60 ng/mL, p < 0.001) and plasma NGAL (164.91 +/- 43.63 ng/mL vs. 122.48 +/- 27.33 ng/mL, p < 0.001). Plasma calprotectin and NGAL could discriminate the development of AKI respectively with an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.864 and 0.850. A combination of the two plasma biomarkers calprotectin and NGAL could early discriminate AKI in ACS patients with an AUC of 0.898. Conclusions: This study demonstrated a promising panel of plasma calprotectin and NGAL as early diagnostic biomarkers for AKI in ACS patients.

Automated summary

This study found that plasma calprotectin and NGAL levels were significantly higher in ACS patients with AKI compared to those without AKI. These two biomarkers could early discriminate AKI in ACS patients and a combination of them showed even better diagnostic performance.