A novel neutrophil extracellular traps related diagnostic signature for intracranial aneurysm

Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) released by neutrophils can exacerbate inflammation, leading to rupture of intracranial aneurysms (IA). This study aims to explore potential NETs-related genes in IA. RNA sequencing data for IA were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. NETs-related genes were screened using weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) and differentially expressed gene (DEG) analyses. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses were performed. LASSO Cox regression analysis identified optimal genes for model construction. Immune cell infiltration in IA was studied using CIBERSORT. Five NETs-related hub genes were identified in IA, involved in pathways like neutrophil chemotaxis, Toll-like receptor signaling, and regulation of inflammatory response. A risk score model was developed based on TLR7, TLR2, IL1B, ENTPD4, and FPR1. Immune cell infiltration analysis showed significant variations between low-risk-IA and high-risk-IA groups. Monocytes and neutrophils infiltration proportions were significantly positively correlated with the risk score. The ROC analysis showed AUC values exceeding 0.85 for both training and validation sets, confirming the model's excellent performance. A novel NETs-related diagnostic signature for IA was created, offering new insights into the pathogenesis and diagnosis of IA.