Currently, the clinical diagnosis of acute kidney injury (AKI) is based on blood creatinine and urine volume. In recent years, researchers have identified a number of urine and blood biomarkers that are more sensitive than creatinine and urine volume and can help diagnose AKI at an earlier stage, based on proteomic studies. These biomarkers change during the “risk” phase before the “injury” phase of AKI and can more accurately reflect the progression of AKI kidney damage. Biomarkers of acute kidney injury include several categories: 1) biomarkers reflecting renal dysfunction: e.g. serum creatinine, cystatin C; 2) biomarkers reflecting glomerular injury: e.g. urinary microalbumin; 3) biomarkers reflecting tubular injury: e.g. urinary microalbumin, serum cystatin-C, urinary glucose; 4) biomarkers reflecting adaptive upregulation of renal cell/tissue injury: e.g. urinary NGAL, urinary KIM-1; 5) biomarkers reflecting the development of AKI. NGAL, urinary KIM-1, urinary IL-18, etc. The use of these renal injury damage markers in clinical practice can help improve the diagnosis of AKI.