Network-Based Analysis of Rutin-Induced Gene Expression Changes in Human Senescent Stromal Cells

Rutin, a lipophilic flavonoid of natural origin, occurs in various vegetables, citrus fruits, and drinks. The purpose of this research is to examine the metabolic routes of rutin within human senescent stromal cells. Datasets were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) repository and initially processed with GEO2R to detect significantly differentially expressed genes (DEGs). These significant DEGs underwent protein-protein interaction (PPI) network evaluation to pinpoint hub genes. Hub genes were further refined through directed PPI analysis to isolate the most crucial DEGs. Visualization of the data involved volcano plots, Uniform Manifold Approximation and Projection (UMAP) plots, and Venn diagrams. From an analysis of 9124 significant DEGs, 33 upregulated and 61 downregulated hub genes were identified. Subsequent directed PPI analysis highlighted IL1B, ICAM1, CCL2, EGF, CXCL8, PTGS2, CAMK2B, CCN2, VCAM1, ELN, CXCL12, BGN, and TLR4 as the key hub genes. The genes IL1B, CCL2, GNAO1, ICAM1, EGF, and CXCL8 were identified as primary regulators modulated by rutin, while PTGS2 and CAMK2B stood out as the genes most strongly regulated. These results suggest notable positive impacts of rutin on the performance of the treated cells. Such impacts support the prospects of rutin as a potential plant-based therapeutic agent. Additional studies are, however, essential to mitigate possible adverse effects.