[Glomerulonephritis and renal sclerosis: new therapeutic proposals (review)]. / Glomerulonefriti e sclerosi renale: nuove proposte terapeutiche.

The treatment of immuno-mediated glomerulonephritides is presently based upon a limited series of drugs. Albeit evidence-based medicine relies solely upon controlled trials, there is a need to follow new perspectives with an open mind, since they may lead to tomorrow's therapy. Several original and innovative approaches to treat inflammatory glomerular diseases have been recently reported, including drugs designed to limit the effect of pro-inflammatory and pro-sclerotic cytokines (recombinant monoclonal antibodies, receptor antagonists, gene therapy providing viral transfection of genes, antisense oligonucleotides, aptamers, inhibition of transcription factors, active immunization). Moreover, newer options are being proposed, as in the case of enhancing natural anti-inflammatory cytokines or intracellular signalling limiting inflammation. Some of these proposals, which are briefly reviewed in this article, are likely to enter soon clinical investigation and to become in the next future standard treatment for glomerular diseases.