Abstract: Shortage of donor kidney is a major problem in renal transplantation. Accurate evaluation of donor kidney function may reduce the organ rejection rate and save more patients with uremia. Compared with pathological examination, detection of circulating molecular markers is more convenient in clinical application. In this article, the research progress on the markers of kidney injury, such as serum creatinine, serum cystatin C (Cys-C), neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), liver-type fatty acid-binding protein (L-FABP), mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), kidney injury molecule-1(KIM-1) and interleukin -18 (IL-18), were briefly reviewed.