Currently, serum creatinine and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) together with albuminuria or proteinuria are laboratory markers used in long-term monitoring of kidney transplant recipients. There is a need for more sensitive markers that could serve as early warning signs of graft dysfunction. Our aim was to assess the urinary concentrations of neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) as a predictor of changes in kidney transplant function after the first year post-transplantation. We prospectively recruited 109 patients with functioning graft at least one year after the transplantation, with no acute conditions over the past three months, during their control visits in kidney transplant ambulatory. Urinary NGAL measured on recruitment was twice higher in patients with at least 10% decrease in eGFR over 1-year follow-up compared to those with stable or improving transplant function. Baseline NGAL significantly predicted the relative and absolute changes in eGFR and the mean eGFR during the follow-up independently of baseline eGFR and albuminuria. Moreover, baseline NGAL significantly predicted urinary tract infections during the follow-up, although the infections were not associated with decreasing eGFR. Additionally, we assessed urinary concentrations of matrix metalloproteinase 9-NGAL complex in a subgroup of 77 patients and found higher levels in patients who developed urinary tract infections during the follow-up but not in those with decreasing eGFR. High urinary NGAL in clinically stable kidney transplant recipients beyond the first year after transplantation may be interpreted as a warning and trigger the search for transient or chronic causes of graft dysfunction, or urinary tract infection.
Keywords: glomerular filtration rate; kidney allograft; matrix metalloproteinase 9-neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin complex; neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin; urinary tract infections.