Ferroptosis in glaucoma: Identification of key genes NR1D2 and AKR1C3 based on transcriptome bioinformatics analysis

Glaucoma, a leading cause of blindness, involves retinal ganglion cell death linked to ferroptosis, an iron-dependent form of cell death. This study analyzed GEO datasets (GSE9944 and GSE2378) to identify ferroptosis-related genes in glaucoma. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator and support vector machine-recursive feature elimination methods were used to select key genes, and bioinformatics tools were applied to assess their diagnostic potential and biological significance. NR1D2 and AKR1C3 were identified as key ferroptosis-related genes with high diagnostic potential. These genes are involved in redox reactions, cellular processes, and immune responses. Drug sensitivity and competitive endogenous RNA network analyses further confirmed their value as potential diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets. NR1D2 and AKR1C3 are promising biomarkers for diagnosing glaucoma and serve as potential therapeutic targets, offering new insights into its pathogenesis and treatment strategies.