Abstract
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.
DECLARATION OF INTEREST
The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.