Identification of benzo(a)pyrene-mediated ferroptosis to impact prognosis prediction and immune microenvironment with network toxicology in lung adenocarcinoma

Benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) is closely associated with the progression of various cancers, including lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). However, the role of BaP in inducing ferroptosis in LUAD has not been thoroughly explored. In this study, we utilized multiple databases, including ChEMBL, CDT, PubChem, GeneCards, DrugBank, OMIM, TTD, STITCH and TCGA, to identify potential target genes associated with BaP, ferroptosis, and differentially expressed genes in LUAD. We employed a least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) and a nomogram approach to construct a prognostic model, and the Kaplan-Meier plotter to evaluate survival outcomes. These analysis led to the identification of four independent prognostic signature genes related to BaP-mediated ferroptosis (DPP4, NQO1, SLC7A11 and TXNRD1). Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis indicated that these genes were involved in immunomodulatory pathways. Further investigation confirmed the close relationship between DPP4, NQO1, SLC7A11, and TXNRD1 and the immune microenvironment. In conclusion, the signature BaP-mediated ferroptosis could have the potential to serve as prognostic indicators and provide new insights into the immune microenvironment of LUAD.