Identification of Pulpitis-Related Potential Biomarkers Using Bioinformatics Approach

Area of Science:

• Dental research
• Molecular biology
• Biomarker discovery

Background:

• Pulpitis involves inflammatory reactions crucial for pathogen elimination and tissue repair.
• Traditional methods for evaluating pulpitis severity have significant limitations.
• Identifying reliable biomarkers is essential for effective therapeutic strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify novel molecular biomarkers for assessing pulpitis severity.
• To analyze differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with pulpitis.
• To uncover key genes and pathways involved in pulpitis pathogenesis.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database to identify 843 DEGs in pulpitis.
• Constructed a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and performed functional enrichment analyses (GO, KEGG).
• Employed network analysis (MCODE, RWR) and GeneMANIA to identify four hub genes and their coexpressed genes.

Main Results:

• DEGs were significantly enriched in inflammatory reaction-related functions.
• Four hub genes were identified through integrated network analysis.
• These four hub genes showed remarkable upregulation in the pulpitis group and coexpression with chemokine-related genes.

Conclusions:

• Four hub genes were identified as potential diagnostic biomarkers for pulpitis.
• The findings highlight the role of these genes in pulpitis pathogenesis and inflammation.
• This research provides a foundation for developing improved diagnostic tools for pulpitis.