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. 2013;8(1):e54863.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0054863. Epub 2013 Jan 22.

Clinical value of NGAL, L-FABP and albuminuria in predicting GFR decline in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients

Kuei-Mei Chou  1 , Chin-Chan Lee, Chih-Huang Chen, Chiao-Yin Sun
Affiliations

Clinical value of NGAL, L-FABP and albuminuria in predicting GFR decline in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients

Kuei-Mei Chou et al. PLoS One. 2013.

Abstract

Objectives: Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) and liver-type fatty acid binding protein (L-FABP) are emerging as excellent biomarkers in the urine and plasma for the early prediction of acute and chronic kidney injury. The aims of this prospective study were to determine the role of albuminuria, and that of serum and urine levels of NGAL and L-FABP as predictors of a decline in the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Methods: A longitudinal cohort study with one hundred forty type 2 diabetic patients was conducted. Serum and urine levels of NGAL and L-FABP, and the urine albumin excretion rate were determined. The correlation between the kidney injury biomarkers and rate of GFR decline was analyzed.

Results: The eGFR of study subjects decreased significantly as the study progressed (86.4±31.1 vs. 74.4±27.3 ml/min/1.73 m(2), P<0.001), and the urine albumin excretion rate increased significantly (264.9±1060.3 vs. 557.7±2092.5 mg/day, P = 0.009). The baseline urine albumin excretion rate and serum L-FABP level were significantly correlated with baseline eGFR (P<0.05). The results of regression analysis for the correlations between the rate of eGFR change and the baseline levels of NGAL and L-FABP, and the urine albumin excretion rate showed that only the urine albumin excretion rate was significantly correlated with the rate of eGFR change (standardized coefficients: -0.378; t: -4.298; P<0.001).

Conclusions: Tubular markers, such as NGAL and L-FABP, may not be predictive factors associated with GFR decline in type 2 diabetic patients.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Pearson correlation between baseline eGFR and baseline levels of serum NGAL, serum L-FABP, urine NGAL, and urine L-FABP and the daily urine albumin amount.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Pearson correlation between the rate of eGFR decline and the baseline levels of serum NGAL, serum L-FABP, urine NGAL, and urine L-FABP, and the urine albumin excretion rate.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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