Idiopathic membranous nephropathy (IMN) is one of the main types of chronic kidney disease in adults and one of the most common causes of end‑stage renal disease. In recent years, the morbidity of IMN among primary glomerular diseases has markedly increased, while the pathogenesis of the disease remains unclear. To address this, a number of experimental models, including Heymann nephritis, anti‑thrombospondin type‑1 domain‑containing 7A antibody‑induced IMN, cationic bovine serum albumin, anti‑human podocyte antibodies and zymosan‑activated serum‑induced C5b‑9, have been established. This review comprehensively summarized the available animal and cell models for IMN. The limitations and advantages of the current models were discussed and two improved models were introduced to facilitate the selection of an appropriate model for further studies on IMN.
Keywords: idiopathic membranous nephropathy; chronic kidney disease; model; phospholipase a2 receptor; thrombospondin type-1 domain-containing 7a antibody.