Abstract:

Membranous nephropathy （MN）is the most common pathological type of adult nephrotic syndrome. At present，the diagnosis mainly depends on renal biopsy. Recent studies have found that the specific biomarkers phospholipase A2 receptors and thrombospondin type 1 domain ⁃ containing 7A have importantsignifi⁃ cance as a non⁃invasive procedure in diagnosis of MN，detection of disease changes，and assessment of prognosis， which can partly replace renal biopsy. Thanks to the discovery of these biomarkers，the pathogenic effect of immune⁃ related factors in MN has been further confirmed. Therefore ，targeted therapeutic drugs led by rituximab have become a new choice for the treatment of MN.In addition，other types of anti ⁃CD20 monoclonal antibodies have been found to be an alternative for rituximab⁃resistant patients. This article reviews the research progress in the diagnosis and treatment of MN.

Key words:

membranous nephropathy, molecular diagnosis, phospholipase A2 receptor, thrombos? pondin type 1 domain?containing 7A, rituximab