Revealing the expression characteristics and potential regulatory mechanisms of hub oxidative stress related genes of spinal cord injury

Abstract

Abstract Spinal cord injury (SCI) induces oxidative stress reactions, exacerbating secondary damage. Moderating oxidative stress after SCI holds paramount significance for alleviating secondary injury. At the same time, comprehensive investigations into the pathogenesis of oxidative stress in SCI remain limited. In this study, we analyzed public datasets to identify differentially expressed oxidative stress-related genes (DEOSRGs) at various post-injury time points, identifying 25 hub oxidative stress-related genes (OSRGs). We also conducted tests and validations to ascertain the temporal expression patterns of some hub genes at both the tissue and single-cell levels. Subsequently, we unveiled the association between these hub genes and immune cell infiltration. Functional and pathway enrichment analyses were conducted on DEOSRGs at distinct time points, revealing alterations in enriched functions and signaling pathways. Additionally, we summarized potential communication signaling characteristics related to oxidative stress among different cells at various time points at the single-cell level, along with associated ligand-receptor pairs. As a subsequent step, we constructed mRNA-miRNA/mRNA-miRNA-lncRNA regulatory networks related to oxidative stress in SCI and analyzed transcription factors associated with hub OSRGs. Finally, leveraging the DSigDB database, we predicted compounds capable of inhibiting eight hub genes, offering potential drugs or molecules for targeted interventions in oxidative stress following SCI. Consequently, this study holds significance for gaining deeper insights into oxidative stress mechanisms after SCI and timely targeted interventions in oxidative stress following SCI.