membranäre

Membranäre is a German adjective meaning membranous or relating to membranes. It is used to describe structures, tissues, or processes that involve membranes or have a membrane-like character. The form is often used when the noun it modifies is feminine or plural (for example: membranäre Strukturen, membranäre Veränderungen), and many authors also use the closely related term membranös as a synonym depending on style.

In biology and anatomy, membranäre descriptors highlight features bounded by or composed of membranes, such as the cell membrane (Zellmembran), the nuclear envelope (Kernmembran), and the membranes of mitochondria and the endoplasmic reticulum. In histology, membranäre layers or sheets can refer to membranes surrounding or enclosing tissues or organelles.

In medicine, membranäre relations appear in disease terminology. The best-known example is membranöse Glomerulonephritis, also called membranöse Nephropathie (membranous nephropathy), a kidney disease characterized by thickening of the glomerular basement membrane due to immune complex deposition. Clinically, it often presents with nephrotic-range proteinuria and edema and can be primary or secondary to infections, drugs, malignancies, or autoimmune conditions.

Etymology: from Latin membrana “a thin skin, covering,” with the German adjective forming membranär/-e, membranös, used to denote membranous characteristics.