Proenkephalin as a biomarker correlates with acute kidney injury: a systematic review with meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis

BackgroundProenkephalin A 119-159 (PENK) is freely filtered in the glomerulus with plasma levels correlating with glomerular filtration rate. Therefore, PENK has been proposed as an early indicator of acute kidney injury (AKI) although its performance is dependent on the clinical setting. This meta-analysis aimed to investigate the correlation between PENK levels and the development of AKI.MethodsWe conducted a comprehensive search on the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane databases, the website ClinicalTrials.gov and Cnki.net until June 26, 2023. Summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curves were used to amalgamate the overall test performance. Diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) was employed to compare the diagnostic accuracy of PENK with other biomarkers. Quality of the evidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations (GRADE) criteria.ResultsWe incorporated 11 observational studies with 3969 patients with an incidence of AKI of 23.4% (929 out of 3969 patients) with the best optimal cutoff value of PENK for early detection of AKI being 57.3 pmol/L. The overall sensitivity and specificity of PENK in identifying AKI were 0.69 (95% CI 0.62-0.75) and 0.76 (95% CI 0.68-0.82), respectively. The combined positive likelihood ratio (LR) stood at 2.83 (95% CI 2.06-3.88), and the negative LR was 0.41 (95% CI 0.33-0.52). The SROC curve showcased pooled diagnostic accuracy of 0.77 (95% CI 0.73-0.81). Interestingly, patients with a history of hypertension or heart failure demonstrated a lower specificity of PENK in correlating the development of AKI.ConclusionOur results indicate that PENK possesses significant potential as a biomarker for the early detection of the development of AKI, using a cutoff point of 57.3 pmol/L for PENK.

Automated summary

Our meta-analysis of 11 observational studies with 3969 patients showed that proenkephalin A 119-159 (PENK) has significant potential as a biomarker for early detection of acute kidney injury (AKI), with a cutoff value of 57.3 pmol/L. The overall sensitivity and specificity of PENK in identifying AKI were 0.69 (95% CI 0.62-0.75) and 0.76 (95% CI 0.68-0.82), respectively. The combined positive likelihood ratio (LR) was 2.83 (95% CI 2.06-3.88), and the negative LR was 0.41 (95% CI 0.33-0.52). The summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curve demonstrated a pooled diagnostic accuracy of 0.77 (95% CI 0.73-0.81). Interestingly, patients with a history of hypertension or heart failure showed lower specificity of PENK in correlating with the development of AKI.