Urinary NGAL as an Early Marker of Renal Dysfunction in Dogs with Heartworm Disease and Pulmonary Hypertension
Heartworm disease, caused by <i>Dirofilaria immitis</i>, often leads to pulmonary hypertension (PH), a serious cardiovascular complication in infected dogs. PH may impair renal function through hemodynamic and inflammatory mechanisms, even when traditional biomarkers such as serum creati...
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2025-07-01
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| author | Noelia Costa-Rodríguez Daniel Julio Vera-Rodríguez Soraya Falcón-Cordón Beatriz Regina Morales Rodrigo Morchón José Alberto Montoya-Alonso Elena Carretón |
| author_facet | Noelia Costa-Rodríguez Daniel Julio Vera-Rodríguez Soraya Falcón-Cordón Beatriz Regina Morales Rodrigo Morchón José Alberto Montoya-Alonso Elena Carretón |
| author_sort | Noelia Costa-Rodríguez |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Heartworm disease, caused by <i>Dirofilaria immitis</i>, often leads to pulmonary hypertension (PH), a serious cardiovascular complication in infected dogs. PH may impair renal function through hemodynamic and inflammatory mechanisms, even when traditional biomarkers such as serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) remain within normal ranges. This study aimed to assess urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (uNGAL) levels in dogs naturally infected with <i>D. immitis</i>, with and without PH, to evaluate its potential as an early biomarker of renal dysfunction. Forty-two infected dogs were included and divided into two groups based on the presence (n = 14) or absence (n = 28) of PH, diagnosed via echocardiography. uNGAL concentrations were significantly higher in dogs with PH (mean 66.49 ± 6.67 ng/mL) compared to those without PH (mean 49.01 ± 14.48 ng/mL; <i>p</i> < 0.0001), despite normal creatinine and BUN values. No significant associations were found between uNGAL and sex, age, breed, or clinical signs. These findings suggest that uNGAL may serve as a sensitive biomarker of early renal impairment in dogs with heartworm disease and PH, even in the absence of overt azotemia, supporting its use in clinical evaluation and the monitoring of disease progression. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-06e704fb8d434b2ca9322553a70c9769 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-06e704fb8d434b2ca9322553a70c97692025-08-20T02:48:19ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152025-07-011514200310.3390/ani15142003Urinary NGAL as an Early Marker of Renal Dysfunction in Dogs with Heartworm Disease and Pulmonary HypertensionNoelia Costa-Rodríguez0Daniel Julio Vera-Rodríguez1Soraya Falcón-Cordón2Beatriz Regina Morales3Rodrigo Morchón4José Alberto Montoya-Alonso5Elena Carretón6Internal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Research Institute of Biomedical and Health Sciences (IUIBS), University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35413 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, SpainInternal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Research Institute of Biomedical and Health Sciences (IUIBS), University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35413 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, SpainInternal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Research Institute of Biomedical and Health Sciences (IUIBS), University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35413 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, SpainInternal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Research Institute of Biomedical and Health Sciences (IUIBS), University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35413 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, SpainZoonotic Diseases and One Health Group, Laboratory of Parasitology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Salamanca, 37007 Salamanca, SpainInternal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Research Institute of Biomedical and Health Sciences (IUIBS), University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35413 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, SpainInternal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Research Institute of Biomedical and Health Sciences (IUIBS), University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35413 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, SpainHeartworm disease, caused by <i>Dirofilaria immitis</i>, often leads to pulmonary hypertension (PH), a serious cardiovascular complication in infected dogs. PH may impair renal function through hemodynamic and inflammatory mechanisms, even when traditional biomarkers such as serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) remain within normal ranges. This study aimed to assess urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (uNGAL) levels in dogs naturally infected with <i>D. immitis</i>, with and without PH, to evaluate its potential as an early biomarker of renal dysfunction. Forty-two infected dogs were included and divided into two groups based on the presence (n = 14) or absence (n = 28) of PH, diagnosed via echocardiography. uNGAL concentrations were significantly higher in dogs with PH (mean 66.49 ± 6.67 ng/mL) compared to those without PH (mean 49.01 ± 14.48 ng/mL; <i>p</i> < 0.0001), despite normal creatinine and BUN values. No significant associations were found between uNGAL and sex, age, breed, or clinical signs. These findings suggest that uNGAL may serve as a sensitive biomarker of early renal impairment in dogs with heartworm disease and PH, even in the absence of overt azotemia, supporting its use in clinical evaluation and the monitoring of disease progression.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/14/2003<i>Dirofilaria immitis</i>heartworm diseasecanineurinary NGALechocardiographypulmonary hypertension |
| spellingShingle | Noelia Costa-Rodríguez Daniel Julio Vera-Rodríguez Soraya Falcón-Cordón Beatriz Regina Morales Rodrigo Morchón José Alberto Montoya-Alonso Elena Carretón Urinary NGAL as an Early Marker of Renal Dysfunction in Dogs with Heartworm Disease and Pulmonary Hypertension Animals <i>Dirofilaria immitis</i> heartworm disease canine urinary NGAL echocardiography pulmonary hypertension |
| title | Urinary NGAL as an Early Marker of Renal Dysfunction in Dogs with Heartworm Disease and Pulmonary Hypertension |
| title_full | Urinary NGAL as an Early Marker of Renal Dysfunction in Dogs with Heartworm Disease and Pulmonary Hypertension |
| title_fullStr | Urinary NGAL as an Early Marker of Renal Dysfunction in Dogs with Heartworm Disease and Pulmonary Hypertension |
| title_full_unstemmed | Urinary NGAL as an Early Marker of Renal Dysfunction in Dogs with Heartworm Disease and Pulmonary Hypertension |
| title_short | Urinary NGAL as an Early Marker of Renal Dysfunction in Dogs with Heartworm Disease and Pulmonary Hypertension |
| title_sort | urinary ngal as an early marker of renal dysfunction in dogs with heartworm disease and pulmonary hypertension |
| topic | <i>Dirofilaria immitis</i> heartworm disease canine urinary NGAL echocardiography pulmonary hypertension |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/14/2003 |
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