Cardiovascular percutaneous interventions together with increased life expectancy have resulted in the subjection of an increasing number of patients to contrast medium enhanced examinations or cardiac and angiography procedures requiring iodinated contrast medium injection. Human neutrophil gelatinase associated lipocalin (NGAL), protein of the lipocalin superfamily was originally identified as a component along with gelatinase of a disulfide-linked heterodimer secreted by neutrophils, the protein is produced in immature neutrophil precursors in the bone marrow and stored in specific granules for subsequent release.