3.1.4 Possible ferroptosis biomarkers for AS
Prostaglandin peroxidase synthase 2 (PTGS2) gene encodes cyclic
oxygenase-2 (COX-2)74. PTGS2 has been proposed as a
potential ferroptosis-related biomarker for ischemic
stroke75. The pathological analysis of human coronary
arteries showed that the late ferroptosis-related proteins PTGS2 and
ACSL4 were up-regulated, while GPX4 was down-regulated. The severity of
atherosclerosis was positively correlated with the expression of PTGS2
and ACSL4, and negatively correlated with the expression of GPX4. This
study further confirmed that cellular ferroptosis can regulate the
development and progression of atherosclerosis. The study also suggests
that PTGS2 may be a central gene in
atherosclerosis68. Then, by constructing a
protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and histological verification
of related genes, five AS-related ferroptosis hub genes (TP53 ,MAPK1 , STAT3 , HMOX1 , and PTGS2 ) were finally
identified. This study further demonstrated that PTGS2 may be a
key hub gene for AS and its expressed protein may serve as a biomarker
of atherosclerosis severity76. These findings may
provide new ideas and potential targets for the prevention and treatment
of atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis eventually leads to clot deposits
and narrowing of blood vessels, which reduces blood flow to the brain
and restricts oxygen supply, eventually leading to hypoxia-ischemia and
AIS. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the specific mechanism of
ferroptosis in AS, so AS to provide thinking for the treatment of AS and
prevention of AIS by targeting ferroptosis. However, research on
ferroptosis and AS is still in its infancy. More studies will reveal the
specific molecular mechanism of ferroptosis and thus provide more
evidence for ferroptosis prevention and treatment of AS. (Figure
2)