Role of Netrin-1 Beyond the Brain: From Biomarker of Tissue Injury to Therapy for Inflammatory Diseases

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common problem in the hospital setting and intensive care unit. Despite improved understanding, there are no effective therapies available to treat AKI. AKI is often diagnosed late and, therefore, identification of a biomarker that will facilitate early diagnosis of AKI and provide a prognosis is desirable. The recent identification of a novel biomarker, netrin-1, that is capable of diagnosing early during the course of kidney injury has created much interest in this molecule. In this paper, we review recent progress made in understanding netrin-1 as a biomarker and therapeutic molecule for acute and chronic kidney diseases. We also discuss both the usefulness of netrin-1 as a biomarker of other diseases and as a possible therapeutic agent and relevant patents for inflammatory diseases.