Scientometrics
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Stem Cells. Dec 26, 2024; 16(12): 1086-1105
Published online Dec 26, 2024. doi: 10.4252/wjsc.v16.i12.1086
Bibliometrics of trends in global research on the roles of stem cells in myocardial fibrosis therapy
Jing-Yi Ding, Tian-Tian Meng, Ruo-Lin Du, Xin-Bin Song, Yi-Xiang Li, Jing Gao, Ran Ji, Qing-Yong He
Jing-Yi Ding, Jing Gao, Qing-Yong He, Department of Cardiology, Guang’anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100053, China
Tian-Tian Meng, Department of Rehabilitation, Dongfang Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100071, China
Ruo-Lin Du, Department of Emergency Medicine, South Branch of Guang’anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100053, China
Xin-Bin Song, Department of Intensive Care Unit, Zhumadian Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhumadian 463000, Henan Province, China
Yi-Xiang Li, Department of Chinese Medicine, The Third People’s Hospital of Henan Province, Zhengzhou 450000 Henan Province, China
Ran Ji, Department of Intensive Care Unit, Guang’anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100053, China
Co-first authors: Jing-Yi Ding and Tian-Tian Meng.
Author contributions: Ding JY and Meng TT wrote the first draft of the manuscript, and both contributed equally to the design of the study, acquiring and analyzing data, and writing of the actual manuscript. Ding JY, Meng TT, and He QY contributed to the conceptualization of this manuscript; Ding JY, Meng TT, and Ji R participated in the formal analysis; Ding JY, Du RL, Song XB, Li YX, and Gao J were involved in the methodology; Ding JY, Meng TT, Du RL, Song XB, Li YX, and Gao J contributed to the software; Ding JY, Meng TT, Du RL, Song XB, Li YX, Gao J, and Ji R participated in the writing-original draft; He QY contributed to the writing-review & editing. All authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Supported by National Ten Thousand Talent Program (Young Top-notch Talent), No. 03060011; Traditional Chinese Medicine Ancient Book Documents and Characteristic Technology Inheritance Project of the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No. GZY-KJS-2020-079; and Research and Transformation Application of Clinical Characteristic Diagnosis and Treatment Techniques in the Capital, No. Z221100007422081.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
PRISMA 2009 Checklist statement: The authors have read the PRISMA 2009 Checklist, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the PRISMA 2009 Checklist.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Qing-Yong He, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Cardiology, Guang’anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, No. 5 Beixiange, Xicheng District, Beijing 100053, China. heqingyong@gamyy.cn
Received: September 8, 2024
Revised: October 5, 2024
Accepted: November 11, 2024
Published online: December 26, 2024
Processing time: 95 Days and 17.5 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND

Myocardial fibrosis, a condition linked to several cardiovascular diseases, is associated with a poor prognosis. Stem cell therapy has emerged as a potential treatment option and the application of stem cell therapy has been studied extensively. However, a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of these studies has yet to be conducted.

AIM

To map thematic trends, analyze research hotspots, and project future directions of stem cell-based myocardial fibrosis therapy.

METHODS

We conducted a bibliometric and visual analysis of studies in the Web of Science Core Collection using VOSviewer and Microsoft Excel. The dataset included 1510 articles published between 2001 and 2024. Countries, organizations, authors, references, keywords, and co-citation networks were examined to identify evolving research trends.

RESULTS

Our findings revealed a steady increase in the number of publications, with a projected increase to over 200 publications annually by 2030. Initial research focused on stem cell-based therapy, particularly for myocardial infarction and heart failure. More recently, there has been a shift toward cell-free therapy, involving extracellular vesicles, exosomes, and microRNAs. Key research topics include angiogenesis, inflammation, apoptosis, autophagy, and oxidative stress.

CONCLUSION

This analysis highlights the evolution of stem cell therapies for myocardial fibrosis, with emerging interest in cell-free approaches. These results are expected to guide future scientific exploration and decision-making.

Keywords: Stem cells; Myocardial fibrosis; Cardiovascular diseases; VOSviewer; Bibliometrics

Core Tip: This study presents a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of stem cell-based therapies for myocardial fibrosis from 2001 to 2024, highlighting significant trends and emerging research directions. The analysis reveals a growing interest in cell-free therapies, including extracellular vesicles, exosomes, and microRNAs. The focus of research is shifting from angiogenesis, inflammation, apoptosis, autophagy, and oxidative stress to autophagy. These findings provide valuable insights into future research priorities in myocardial fibrosis treatment.