Identification Of Oxidative Stress-Related Biomarkers In Oral Lichen Planus

Oxidative stress (OS) is closely associated with oral lichen planus (OLP). However, the significance of OS-related genes (OSRGs) in OLP still awaits exploration. This study investigated the molecular mechanisms of biomarkers related to OS in OLP. GSE38616, GSE211630, and 467 OSRGs were included. Candidate genes were screened through differential expression analysis combined with OSRGs. PPI network and Cytoscape software were used to identify biomarkers. Functional enrichment, regulatory network construction, drug prediction analysis, molecular docking, and RNA modification analysis were carried out. Single-cell analysis was conducted to explore the expression of biomarkers in cells. Ultimately, expression of biomarkers was identified utilizing RT-qPCR. TGFB1, KLF4, TNF, NQO1, and MMP9 were identified as biomarkers. TGFB1, KLF4, TNF, and MMP9 were significantly associated with immunoregulatory interactions between a lymphoid and a non-lymphoid cell. The regulatory network indicated that hsa-miR449a and hsa-miR449b-5p could simultaneously target NQO1 and KLF4. Etoposide and doxorubicin hydrochloride could simultaneously target TGFB1 and NQO1. Additionally, very high confident m6A modification sites were identified in the sequences of TNF, KLF4, and TGFB1. T cells were identified as key cells, and the expression of TGFB1 was found to increase with the differentiation of T cells. RT-qPCR results demonstrated that in OLP samples, the expressions of TGFB1, TNF, and MMP9 were up-regulated, while NQO1 was down-regulated, consistent with the GSE38616 dataset. TGFB1, KLF4, TNF, NQO1, and MMP9 were identified as OS-related biomarkers in OLP, providing a reference for exploring the pathogenesis of OLP.