LCN2 and acute kidney injury: NGAL, a 25-kDa protein covalently bound to gelatinase proteins in human neutrophils, was reported as an early marker of kidney tubular injury in various patient populations and hence was nicknamed “kidney troponin.” It is released by renal tubular cells in cases of acute tubular damage and may be detected within a few hours of the tubular insult and even in the absence of functional AKI, manifested by serum creatinine elevation [7].