• W Frank Peacock, Alan Maisel, Jieun Kim, and Claudio Ronco.
• Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX; Ben Taub General Hospital, Houston, TX. Frankpeacock@gmail.com.
• Postgrad Med. 2013 Nov 1;125(6):82-93.

BackgroundNeutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) is a member of the lipocalin family of proteins. Usually, NGAL is produced and secreted by kidney tubule cells at low levels, but the amount produced and secreted into the urine and serum increases dramatically after ischemic, septic, or nephrotoxic injury of the kidneys. The purpose of our review article is to summarize the role of NGAL in acute kidney injury (AKI), emergent, and intensive care.MethodsA PubMed search was performed (only English-language articles concerning human subjects were considered) using each of the following search term combinations: neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin OR NGAL and acute kidney injury OR AKI; cardiac surgery; heart failure OR cardiology; intensive care; emergency department OR emergency medicine; nephropathy OR nephrotoxicity and transplantation.ResultsThe results of our search yielded 339 articles. Of the 339 articles, 160 were eligible for review based on the predefined criteria for inclusion.ConclusionBased on the evidence reviewed, it is clear that patient NGAL level is an appropriate, sensitive, and specific early biomarker of AKI caused by a variety of different etiologies. It is advised that a multidisciplinary group of experts come together to make recommendations and propose a consensus of clinical procedures to advance the most efficacious NGAL monitoring protocol for early detection and treatment of patients with AKI.

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