Liu Lijie, Wang Jiankuo, Liu Chenqing
Department of Emergency Medicine, Baoding Second Hospital, Baoding, China.
Medicine (Baltimore). 2025 Aug 15;104(33):e43879. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000043879.
Toxic encephalopathy is a central nervous system disorder caused by endogenous or exogenous toxic substances. Granzyme B (GZMB), a key serine protease, plays a crucial role in immune regulation and the progression of various diseases. Abnormal expression of GZMB may contribute to the development and progression of toxic encephalopathy; however, its specific mechanisms remain unclear. This study aims to preliminarily explore the association between granzyme B and toxic encephalopathy through big data. This study retrieved the toxic encephalopathy dataset GSE253309 from the gene expression omnibus database. Differentially expressed genes were identified using the "limma" R package, followed by gene ontology and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes enrichment analyses. A protein-protein interaction network was constructed using the search tool for the retrieval of interacting genes (STRING) database, key hub genes were identified with Cytoscape software. A total of 994 differentially expressed genes were identified. Among them, GZMB was moderately overexpressed in toxic encephalopathy tissues (log2 fold change = 0.70, P = .00087), suggesting a potential disease association. and was enriched in the TGF-beta signaling pathway. Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes enrichment analysis revealed that GZMB-related genes were involved in several pathways, notably the TGF-beta signaling pathway and apoptosis, both of which are implicated in immune regulation and neuronal injury. Protein-protein interaction network analysis confirmed GZMB as a hub gene potentially contributing to disease progression. Furthermore, β-escin sodium and methylprednisolone may modulate GZMB expression, thereby alleviating neuronal damage and improving outcomes in delayed encephalopathy after carbon monoxide poisoning. Elevated GZMB expression likely contributes to the pathogenesis and progression of toxic encephalopathy through multiple pathways, making it a potential disease biomarker and therapeutic target.
中毒性脑病是一种由内源性或外源性有毒物质引起的中枢神经系统疾病。颗粒酶B(GZMB)是一种关键的丝氨酸蛋白酶,在免疫调节和各种疾病的进展中起着至关重要的作用。GZMB的异常表达可能有助于中毒性脑病的发生和发展;然而,其具体机制仍不清楚。本研究旨在通过大数据初步探索颗粒酶B与中毒性脑病之间的关联。本研究从基因表达综合数据库中检索了中毒性脑病数据集GSE253309。使用“limma”R包识别差异表达基因,随后进行基因本体论和京都基因与基因组百科全书富集分析。使用检索相互作用基因的搜索工具(STRING)数据库构建蛋白质-蛋白质相互作用网络,用Cytoscape软件识别关键枢纽基因。共识别出994个差异表达基因。其中,GZMB在中毒性脑病组织中中度过表达(log2倍数变化=0.70,P=0.00087),提示可能与疾病有关,并富集于转化生长因子-β信号通路。京都基因与基因组百科全书富集分析显示,与GZMB相关的基因参与了多个途径,特别是转化生长因子-β信号通路和细胞凋亡,这两者都与免疫调节和神经元损伤有关。蛋白质-蛋白质相互作用网络分析证实GZMB是一个可能促进疾病进展的枢纽基因。此外,七叶皂苷钠和甲泼尼龙可能调节GZMB表达,从而减轻神经元损伤并改善一氧化碳中毒后迟发性脑病的预后。GZMB表达升高可能通过多种途径导致中毒性脑病的发病机制和进展,使其成为潜在的疾病生物标志物和治疗靶点。