Urine biomarkers can outperform serum biomarkers in certain diseases
Cheng Xue, Bo Yang, Lili Fu, Hou H, Jihua Qiang, Chenchen Zhou, Youhe Gao, Zhiguo Mao
Abstract
Urinary biomarkers offer a non-invasive and easily accessible means of assessing an individual's health and susceptibility to various diseases. They can provide critical insights into an individual's predisposition to certain conditions, disease progression, and therapeutic response. In this review, we summarized the currently reported urinary biomarkers that outperformed serum biomarkers, including urinary protein biomarkers, gene biomarkers, urinary metabolite biomarkers, ion biomarkers, and urinary extracellular vesicles. Combining urinary and serum biomarkers can offer a more comprehensive approach to disease diagnosis, monitoring, and personalized medicine. Despite some challenges in standardization and expanding the repertoire of diseases that can be diagnosed using urinary biomarkers, urinary biomarkers hold immense promise in improving patient outcomes and transforming healthcare.