Independent associations of urine neutrophil gelatinase–associated lipocalin and serum uric acid with interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy in primary glomerulonephritis

The degree of interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy (IFTA) is one of the strongest prognostic factors in glomerulonephritis (GN). In experimental models, high serum uric acid (UA) could contribute to IFTA through direct effects on the renal tubules, but the significance of this process has not been evaluated in patients. Urine neutrophil gelatinase–associated lipocalin (NGAL) is produced by renal tubules following acute or chronic damage. We investigated the relationship between UA and NGAL excretion in primary GN and tested whether these biomarkers are independently associated with IFTA. Urine and blood were collected from patients on the day of kidney biopsy. IFTA was assessed semi-quantitatively. Fifty-one patients with primary GN were enrolled. NGAL/creatinine correlated significantly with proteinuria but not with glomerular filtration rate (GFR). By contrast, UA correlated with GFR but not with proteinuria. NGAL/creatinine did not correlate with UA. Both NGAL/creatinine and UA increased with the severity of IFTA. By multivariate analysis, GFR, NGAL/creatinine, and UA were independently associated with moderate-to-severe IFTA. Combining UA and NGAL/creatinine with classical predictors (proteinuria and GFR) tended to improve discrimination for moderate-to-severe IFTA. Findings that UA was unrelated to urinary NGAL excretion suggest that the two biomarkers reflect different pathways related to the development of IFTA in primary GN. Both NGAL/creatinine and UA were independently associated with moderate-to-severe IFTA.