Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin

Background Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) is an antimicrobial peptide that could be involved in the pathogenesis of COPD. This study aimed to measure the plasma levels of NGAL in a large cohort of patients with COPD and control subjects and examine the levels of NGAL by COPD characteristics. Methods The study included 402 patients with COPD and 229 control subjects aged 40 to 76 years from the Bergen COPD Cohort Study. All patients with COPD had an FEV1/FVC ratio of Results Mean ± SD plasma concentrations of NGAL were 75.1 ± 31.8 ng/mL in patients with COPD and 56.5 ± 22.0 ng/mL in control subjects (P Conclusions Plasma levels of NGAL were significantly higher in patients with COPD compared with control subjects. NGAL was related to important COPD characteristics.