Evaluation of renal damage biomarkers in an experimental Pyelonephritis model induced by uropathogenic <i>Escherichia coli</i>

This study aims to determine the levels of biomarkers in rats on different days of the disease by creating a pyelonephritis model using Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC). Forty rats were used in the study; 10 were designated as the control group and the remaining 30 rats were intrarenally administered UPEC to create a pyelonephritis model. Blood and urine samples were collected on days 1, 4 and 7 of the experiment. Histopathologically, it was determined that pyelonephritis occurred in all experimental groups. In serum samples, significant changes were observed in the groups' clusterin, L-FABP and clusterin/Cr levels. In urine samples: while no significant changes were detected in Cr, clusterin, NGAL/Cr and clusterin/Cr levels, significant alterations were identified in NGAL, L-FABP, KIM-1, cystatin C, KIM-1/Cr, cystatin C/Cr and L-FABP/Cr levels. In the scope of the study, changes in the identified biomarkers in the serum and urine samples of rats with induced pyelonephritis were particularly evident. In evaluations conducted on different days of the disease, it was observed that urine NGAL, L-FABP, KIM-1 and cystatin C levels increased up to the 4th day compared to the control group. These findings suggest that urine biomarkers, in particular, may play a significant role in diagnosing pyelonephritis.