NAG ELISA Kits

N-Acetyl-/β-glucosaminidase (NAG) is a high molecular-weight (140000 Da) hydrolytic lysosomal enzyme that is found in many tissues of the body and is abundantly present in cells of the proximal kidney tubule. The relatively high molecular weight of NAG does not permit its filtration through the glomerular basal membrane. Therefore, its urinary excretion is relatively constant with minimal diurnal changes. NAG cleaves chemical bonds of glycosides and amino sugars that form structural components in many tissues. NAG is necessary for the degradation and disposal of various parts of the cell, including the cell membrane. The NAG consists of several isoenzymes, the two principal isoenzymes which are present in the kidney and liver, respectively, are the acidic form A and basic form B.

The kidney function can be assessed by a number of methods. Serum creatinine (Cr), serum blood urea nitrogen (BUN), serum cystatin C (Cys-C), urinary beta-2-microglobulin (β2MG), and urinary N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) were often used to evaluate renal injury. The urinary excretion of enzymes, in particular N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (NAG), is considered a relatively simple, cheap, fast and non-invasive method in the detection and follow-up of renal tubular function under various conditions. The determination of urinary NAG provides a very sensitive and reliable indicator of renal damage, such as injury or dysfunction due to diabetes mellitus, nephrotic syndrome, inflammation, urinary tract infection, hypercalciuria, hypoxia, hypertension and heavy metals poisoning.