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Impact of gestational age, sex, and postnatal age on urine biomarkers in premature neonates

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Abstract

Background

Urine proteins may help in understanding physiology and diagnosing disease in premature infants. Determining how urine proteins vary by degree of prematurity, sex, and postnatal day is warranted.

Methods

We performed a prospective cohort study to assess the independent correlation of 14 urine biomarkers (measured on postnatal days 1–4) with gestational age (GA), sex, and postnatal age in 81 premature infants (mean, 1017 g) without acute kidney injury using a random-effects mixed model.

Results

Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) showed significant associations for sex, GA, and postnatal age. Cystatin C, osteopontin (OPN), and trefoil factor 3 (TFF3) were associated with postnatal age and GA, but not sex. Epithelial growth factor (EGF) and uromodulin were associated with GA only. Clusterin was associated with postnatal age and sex. Albumin was associated with sex only. Beta-2-microglbulin (B2M), osteoactivin, kidney injury molecule −1 (KIM-1), and alpha glutathione S-transferase (αGST) were associated with postnatal age only.

Conclusions

Postnatal age affects B2M, cystatin C, NGAL, OPN, clusterin, Kim-1, osteoactivin, TFF3, VEGF, αGST. GA affects cystatin C, EGF, NGAL, OPN, UMOD, TFF3, and VEGF. Sex affects albumin, NGAL, and clusterin. Interpretation of urine biomarkers will need to account for these associations.

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Statement of financial support

Research reported in this publication was supported by the Norman Siegel Career Development Award from the American Society of Nephrology and the UAB-UCSD O'Brien Center and Grant NIH P30-DK079337. Dr. Askenazi receives funding from the NIH (R01 DK13608-01) and the Pediatric and Infant Center for Acute Nephrology (PICAN) which is sponsored by Children’s of Alabama and the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics and Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS) under award number UL1TR00165. Dr. Ambalavanan receives funding from NIH (grant # U01 HL122626; R01 HD067126; R01 HD066982; U10 HD34216). Dr. Griffin receives funding from UAB CCTS, and PICAN.

Conflicts of interest

Dr. Askenazi is speaker for The AKI Foundation.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Pediatric Nephrology Department of Pediatrics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1600 7th Ave S, Lowder 516, Birmingham, AL, 35233, USA

    Behtash Saeidi, Rajesh Koralkar, Brian Halloran & David J. Askenazi

  2. Department of Epidemiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1665 University Blvd. Ryals Public Health Building Room 220, Birmingham, AL, 35294-0022, USA

    Russell L. Griffin

  3. Division of Neonatology Department of Pediatrics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1700 Sixth Avenue South, Birmingham, AL, 35249, USA

    Namasivayam Ambalavanan

Authors
  1. Behtash Saeidi
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  2. Rajesh Koralkar
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  3. Russell L. Griffin
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  4. Brian Halloran
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  5. Namasivayam Ambalavanan
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  6. David J. Askenazi
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Correspondence to David J. Askenazi.

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Saeidi, B., Koralkar, R., Griffin, R.L. et al. Impact of gestational age, sex, and postnatal age on urine biomarkers in premature neonates. Pediatr Nephrol 30, 2037–2044 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00467-015-3129-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00467-015-3129-z

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