Could “calprotectin” and “endocan” serve as “Troponin of Nephrologists”?

AKI, a serious, common and occasionally under-recognized condition, which is a significant contributor to the growing incidence of CKD and end-stage renal disease (ESRD). To date, the diagnosis of AKI is made by serial measurement of Cr and BUN which are late and imprecise markers of kidney injury. “Calprotectin” and “endocan” are two biomarkers that could reflect renal tubular injury and glomerular/endothelial-vascular damage, respectively. Measurement of urinary calprotectin could help the physicians to diagnose tubular degradation and differentiate prerenal AKI from intrinsic AKI. Serum level of endocan could signify endothelial damage. Herein it is hypothesized that calprotectin and endocan may help the clinicians to diagnose intrinsic AKI, earlier than rise of serum creatinine, differentiate AKI from acute presentation of CKD and also discriminate tubular injury from glomerular/vascular-endothelial injury, assess the prognosis and extent of renal damage and plan for appropriate therapy which may render these biomarkers as potentially applicable equivalents of Troponin in the field of nephrology.