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Longitudinal patterns of urine biomarkers in infants across gestational ages

Marissa J DeFreitas1, Wacharee Seeherunvong2, Chryso P Katsoufis2

  • 1Division of Pediatric Nephrology, University of Miami/ Holtz Children's Hospital, 1611 NW 12th Avenue (Annex 504), Miami, FL, 33136, USA. mdefreitas@med.miami.edu.

Pediatric Nephrology (Berlin, Germany)
|February 11, 2016
PubMed

Insights

Urinary biomarkers like epidermal growth factor (EGF) and uromodulin (UMOD) change with gestational age in neonates. These developmental patterns help assess normal kidney development in infants.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal physiology
  • Pediatric nephrology
  • Biomarker research

Background:

  • Urinary biomarkers may indicate acute kidney injury (AKI) but their developmental patterns in healthy neonates are poorly understood.
  • Understanding these patterns is crucial for assessing kidney health in infants across a spectrum of gestational ages.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the developmental trajectories of seven urinary biomarkers in healthy neonates from birth to three months of age.
  • To characterize how these biomarkers change with advancing gestational age (GA) and post-natal development.

Main Methods:

  • Urine samples were collected from 52 infants (24-41 weeks GA) from birth to 3 months.
  • Assayed for albumin (ALB), beta-2-microglobulin (B2M), cystatin-C (CysC), epidermal growth factor (EGF), neutrophil-gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), osteopontin (OPN), and uromodulin (UMOD).

Main Results:

  • Epidermal growth factor (EGF) and uromodulin (UMOD) increased with advancing GA and post-natal age.
  • By 3 months, preterm infants' EGF and UMOD levels reached those of term infants.
  • EGF and UMOD showed potential for distinguishing estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) <30 ml/min/1.73 m², while cystatin-C/creatinine and albumin/creatinine were significant functional markers.

Conclusions:

  • Urinary biomarker levels significantly vary with gestational age in healthy neonates.
  • These findings support the utility of urinary biomarkers for monitoring normal kidney development in infants.
  • Specific biomarkers like EGF and UMOD can track kidney maturation and function in the neonatal period.
Abstract

Keywords:
Acute kidney injuryGestationGlomerular filtrationNeonatesUrinary biomarkers

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