N-Acetylcysteine Decreases Urinary Level of Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin in Deceased-Donor Renal Transplant Recipients: A Randomized Clinical Trial Publisher Pubmed



Modarresi A¹ ; Nafar M² ; Sahraei Z³ ; Salamzadeh J³ ; Chaibakhsh S^{1, 4} ; Ziaie S³ ; Parvin M² ; Panahi Y⁵ ; Einollahi B⁶
Source: Biomarkers Published:2018

Abstract

Context: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication after kidney transplantation (KT), especially in recipients from deceased donors. Urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (u-NGAL) is an early and sensitive marker of AKI after transplantation. Objectives: We assessed the renoprotective effect of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) on u-NGAL levels as an early prognostic marker of graft function immediately after transplantation. Materials and methods: A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial was conducted on 70 deceased-donor KT recipients (www.irct.ir, trial registration number: IRCT2014090214693N4). Patients received 600 mg oral NAC or placebo twice daily from day 0 to 5 and urine samples were taken before, and on the first and fifth days after transplantation. U-NGAL and early graft function were compared between the two groups. Results: NAC significantly reduced u-NGAL levels compared to placebo (p value = 0.02), while improvement in early graft function with NAC did not reach statistical significance. Conclusions: This study showed that NAC administration in deceased-donor KT recipients can reduce tubular kidney injury, evidenced by u-NGAL measurements. Improvement in early graft function needs a larger sample size to reach a statistical conclusion. © 2018, © 2018 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.