Association of neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin with the severity of coronary artery disease.

Serum neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) concentrations were measured in 73 consecutive patients who underwent first-time angiography for suspected coronary artery disease (CAD), and their associations with angiographic indexes of the severity of CAD (i.e., number of diseased vessels and modified Gensini score) were estimated. Median serum NGAL levels in patients with angiographically confirmed CAD were significantly higher than those in patients with normal coronary arteries (29.0 ng/ml [interquartile range 25.2 to 36.8] vs 22.4 ng/ml [interquartile range 17.34 to 32.0], p = 0.004). Statistically significant correlations were observed between serum NGAL level and the number of diseased vessels (r(s) = 0.390, p = 0.01) and modified Gensini score (r(s) = 0.356, p = 0.002). Using multivariate analysis, serum NGAL level was independently associated with the presence and severity of CAD. In conclusion, serum NGAL levels are significantly higher in the presence of CAD and are correlated with the severity of the disease. Further clinical studies are needed to confirm the use of NGAL as a biomarker for the detection and extent of CAD.