Fatty acid-binding proteinuria diagnoses myocardial infarction in the rat

Cytoplasmic heart-type fatty acid-binding protein (H-FABPc) is a low molecular weight protein with abundant presence in the myocardium. Upon ischemia it is released from the heart and can subsequently be detected in plasma and urine. In this study, the value of measurement of H-FABPc excreted into urine for the diagnosis of myocardial infarction (MI) is investigated in the rat. To this end, firstly the kinetic behaviour of H-FABPc in plasma was examined and its release into urine quantified. After injection of purified H-FABPc in normal animals, a net recovery in urine of 14-29% was found. The kinetic behaviour of H-FABPc in plasma was characterized by a total clearance of 0.33 ml/min and a half-life value of total elimination of about 270 min. Knowing these plasma characteristics of H-FABPc, a comparison was made between the cumulative amounts of H-FABPc released in the 24-hour urine of MI rats and of sham-operated animals. In MI rats, with a mean morphometric MI size of 43%, the mean total amount of H-FABPc excreted into urine was 79 micrograms, while in sham-operated rats this was 23 micrograms. This difference between both groups is significant (p < 0.001). It is concluded that urinary H-FABPc can be used as a noninvasive marker for MI in the rat.