Comprehensive Investigation of Oxidative Stress-Related Hub Genes in Proliferative Vitreoretinopathy Based on Bioinformatics Analysis

Proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) is a common complication following corrective surgery for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) that poses a serious threat to patients' vision. The pathogenesis of PVR remains incompletely understood, with oxidative stress and inflammation being key factors during its development. Through bioinformatics analysis, we identified key oxidative stress-related genes in PVR patients. We obtained PVR gene datasets (GSE176513, GSE228934, and GSE128143) from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and screened for differentially expressed oxidative stress genes (DEOSGs). Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses were performed to evaluate key pathways. Five machine learning algorithms—LASSO, Random Forest (RF), Gradient Boosting Machine (GBM), k-Nearest Neighbors (KNN), and Decision Tree (DT)—were combined with protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks to identify PVR-associated hub genes. Ultimately, two genes (COL1A1 and MMP2) were identified, both of which were upregulated. ROC analysis demonstrated good diagnostic performance for both genes. KEGG analysis revealed that hub gene expression was significantly associated with the AGE-RAGE signaling pathway, the relaxin signaling pathway in diabetic complications, and the proteoglycan signaling pathway in cancer. Potential therapeutic agents including bisphosphonates, resveratrol, and acetazolamide may exert inhibitory effects on PVR. This study found that COL1A1 and MMP2 genes are closely associated with PVR development and progression and are also linked to oxidative stress pathways.