Biomarker of early glomerular injury in pre-eclampsia

Objectives: Nephrin is an integral part of podocytes that together with endothelial cells and the basement form the glomerular filtration barrier. Placental ischemia triggers a cascade of events that ultimately result in endothelial malfunction, hypertension, podocytopathy and fetal compromise. Methods: We review the literature to determine if urine nephrin measurements could serve as a useful biomarker to detect early podocyte injury in pre-eclampsia. Results: Our search identifies eight studies published to date. The findings of these studies demonstrate that urine nephrin excretion plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of proteinuria during pre-eclampsia and that this is a good indicator of glomerular injury. Conclusion: There is thus an urgent need for a large multi-centre clinical study using standardized recruitment criteria to determine the full potential of this biomarker in clinical practice