Objective To investigate the value of bone morphogenetic protein-7 (BMP-7) and the kidney shear wave velocity (SWV) in the diagnosis and treatment of diabetic nephropathy.Methods 150 cases of patients with diabetic mellitus were divided into three groups according to 24h urinary albumin excretion (Ualb):normalbuminuria (NA) group,microalbuminuria (MA) group and clinical proteinuria (CA) group;50 healthy subjects were selected as the control group (NC).The levels of blood BMP-7 were detected and the virtual touch tissue quantification (VTQ) was used to detect renal SWV in four groups.Both the BMP-7 level and the renal parenchyma SWV were compared among four groups.Then correlation analysis was made between blood of BMP-7 level and renal SWV in diabetic nephropathy groups.Results Blood BMP-7 level:the lowest was CA group,the middle one was MA group,and the highest was NA group (P ＜0.05),the NC group and the NA group had no significant difference (P ＞0.05); SWV measured values:CA group was the highest,MA group was middle one and the NA group was the lowest (P ＜ 0.05),the difference between NC group and the NA group was not significant statistically (P ＞0.05).The blood levels of BMP-7 and renal SWV had a significant negative correlation (r =-0.612,P ＜0.05).Conclusions The blood BMP-7 levels downregulate with the progressing of diabetic nephropathy,but the renal SWV increases with the diabetic nephropathy deterioration,and may indirectly reflects blood BMP-7 levels.Both of them have important application values in the diagnosis or treatment of diabetic nephropathy.