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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Cell. Neurosci.
Sec. Cellular Neuropathology
Volume 19 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fncel.2025.1457740
This article is part of the Research Topic Current Topics of Stem Cells and Cell Derivations to Treat Central Nervous System Injury View all articles

Integrated bioinformatics analysis of the effects of chronic pain on patients with spinal cord injury

Provisionally accepted
Yuyu Sun Yuyu Sun 1Longju Qi Longju Qi 2Shiyuan Chen Shiyuan Chen 3Jinyi Liu Jinyi Liu 3Jiaxi Chen Jiaxi Chen 3Fangsu Yan Fangsu Yan 3Wenqi Wang Wenqi Wang 4Qinghua Wang Qinghua Wang 5Liang Chen Liang Chen 1*
  • 1 The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China
  • 2 Affiliated Nantong Hospital 3 of Nantong University, Nantong, China
  • 3 School of Medicine, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu Province, China
  • 4 School of Medical Imaging, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China
  • 5 State-owned Assets Administration Office of Nantong University, Nantong, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Spinal cord injury (SCI) poses a substantial challenge in contemporary medicine, significantly impacting patients and society. Emerging research highlights a strong association between SCI and chronic pain, yet the molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood. To address this, we conducted bioinformatics and systems biology analyses to identify molecular biomarkers and pathways that link SCI to chronic pain. This study aims to elucidate these mechanisms and identify potential therapeutic targets. Methods: Through analysis of the GSE151371 and GSE177034 databases, we identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs) linked to SCI and chronic pain. This analysis uncovered shared pathways, proteins, transcription factor networks, hub genes, and potential therapeutic drugs. Regression analysis on the hub genes facilitated the development of a prognostic risk model. Additionally, we conducted an in-depth examination of immune infiltration in SCI to elucidate its correlation with chronic pain. Results: Analyzing 101 DEGs associated with SCI and chronic pain, we constructed a protein interaction network and identified 15 hub genes. Using bioinformatics tools, we further identified 4 potential candidate genes. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses revealed a strong correlation between SCI and chronic pain, particularly related to inflammation. Additionally, we examined the relationship between SCI and immune cell infiltration, discovering a significant link between SCI and T cell activation. This is notable as activated T cells can cause persistent inflammation and chronic pain. Lastly, we analyzed the hub genes to explore the transcription factor network, potential therapeutic drugs, and ceRNA networks. Conclusion: The analysis of 15 hub genes as significant biological markers for SCI and chronic pain has led to the identification of several potential drugs for treatment.

    Keywords: spinal cord injury, Chronic Pain, Disease biomarker, Hub genes, inflammatory cells, drug, Gene oncology, bioinformatics

    Received: 01 Jul 2024; Accepted: 13 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Sun, Qi, Chen, Liu, Chen, Yan, Wang, Wang and Chen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Liang Chen, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, Jiangsu Province, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.