The Tubular Damage Markers: Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin and Kidney Injury Molecule-1 in Newborns with Intrauterine Growth Restriction.

Background: Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is a poorly understood complication of pregnancy. It may be associated with various diseases in adulthood, such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance, and end-stage renal disease.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to check whether IUGR affects the function of renal tubules, as assessed by the tubular damage markers neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) and kidney injury molecule 1 (KIM-1).

Methods: The study included 126 term neonates. Thirty-eight newborns were the result of pregnancies complicated by IUGR. Eighty-eight healthy newborns were the result of normal pregnancies with no prenatal or perinatal complications. The concentrations of urinary NGAL and KIM-1 were determined with a commercially available ELISA kit and were normalized for urinary creatinine (Cr) concentration.

Results: We found a significantly higher urinary concentration of NGAL and NGAL/Cr ratio in newborns from pregnancies complicated by IUGR when compared to the reference group. We found that female gender was associated with a higher concentration of urinary NGAL and also urinary NGAL/Cr.

Conclusions: This is the first work that demonstrates that urinary NGAL concentration and urinary NGAL/Cr are significantly higher in infants that are small for gestational age than in appropriate-for-gestational-age infants. This might indicate subclinical kidney damage in newborns with IUGR.