Objective:To evaluate the early diagnostic value of tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (TIMP-2) and insulin-like growth factor binding protein-7 (IGFBP-7) in acute kidney injury induced by sepsis.Methods:A total of 85 sepsis patients admitted to the EICU and GICU in Shanghai East Hospital from September 2017 to June 2019 were divided into theAKI group ( n=37) and the non-AKI group ( n=48) according to KIDGO diagnostic criteria, and 20 healthy volunteers were served as the control group. The clinical data were recorded and samples of urine were collected at 0 h, 6 h, 12 h, 1 d, 3 d and 7 d post sepsis. The levels of TIMP-2 and IGFBP-7 in the urine were analyzed with ELISA at different time points. Based on the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) and the area under the curve (AUC), the early diagnostic value of urinary TIMP-2 and IGFBP-7 in sepsis-induced AKI patients was determined. Results:Compared with the control group, the levels of TIMP-2 and IGFBP-7 of the AKI group were significantly higher at the above time points ( P<0.05), while those of the non-AKI group showed no significant differences. The levels of TIMP-2 and IGFBP-7 of the AKI group were significantly higher than the those of the non-AKI group ( P<0.05). ROC analysis showed that when the AUC of urine TIMP-2 peaked at 1 d, the sensitivity and specificity reached 97.5% and 81.2%, separately with the cutoff value of 151.23 ng/mL. Furthermore, when the AUC of urine IGFBP-7 peaked at 12 h, the sensitivity and specificity reached 100% and 72.8%, separately with the cutoff value of 14.91 ng/mL. Interestingly, when the AUC of combined TIMP-2×IGFBP-7 peaked at 12 h, the sensitivity reached 98.0% and specificity reached 91.5% with the cutoff value of 2.09 [(ng/mL) 2/1 000]. There was no significant correlation between the levels of TIMP-2 and IGFBP-7 with SOFA and APACHEⅡ score at 1 d, 3 d and 7 d post sepsis in the AKI group ( P>0.05). Conclusions:Urine TIMP-2 and IGFBP-7 have early diagnostic value in sepsis-induced AKI. Besides, the combination of the two biomarkers have superior predictive value than each single of them.