In overactive bladder (OAB) research, different biomarkers have been proposed as diagnostic tools and may be used to create individual patient profiles. Assessing the diagnostic performance of biomarkers would better outline their utility. Therefore, our aim was to investigate the diagnostic value of four urinary biomarkers: human brain derived neurotrophic factor (hBDNF), malondialdehyde (MDA), h nerve growth factor (hNGF) and h 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine in women with OAB. These are neurotrophins/oxidative stress markers that have been linked to lower urinary tract symptoms.
A total of 105 women were included in the study and distributed in two groups: a group with OAB (n = 53) and a control group (n = 50). The levels of the biomarkers were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique and they were compared between the groups. If the Mann-Whitney test demonstrated a statistically significant difference, receiver operating curves (ROC) analysis was undertaken.
When normalized to urinary creatinine, hBDNF, MDA, and hNGF showed significantly increased values in women with OAB as compared to controls, whereas 8-OHdG showed no significant difference. The diagnostic performance of these biomarkers was analyzed based on the area under the ROC curve (AUC). MDA had the highest AUC (0.75), followed by hNGF (0.69) and hBDNF (0.67).
Our findings suggest that MDA, a relatively novel biomarker in OAB research, has a fair performance as a diagnostic tool for OAB. Moreover, urinary neurotrophins (NGF and BDNF) as biomarkers may have a role in the diagnostic pathways of women with OAB symptoms.
Neurourology and urodynamics. 2020 Aug 19 [Epub ahead of print]
Maria Patricia Rada, Răzvan Ciortea, Andrei Mihai Măluţan, Stergios K Doumouchtsis, Carmen Elena Bucuri, Adelina Clim, Andrei Roman, Dan Mihu
2nd Department of Obstetrics-Gynaecology, "Iuliu Hatieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania., Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Epsom & St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust, UK., Department of Radiology, "Prof. Dr. Ion Chiricuţă" Oncology Institute Cluj-Napoca, "Iuliu Hatieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.