Scientometrics
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2025. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Diabetes. Jan 15, 2025; 16(1): 99755
Published online Jan 15, 2025. doi: 10.4239/wjd.v16.i1.99755
Role of macrophage polarization in diabetic foot ulcer healing: A bibliometric study
You-Wen Zhang, Lei Sun, Yan-Nan Wang, Shi-Yu Zhan
You-Wen Zhang, Yan-Nan Wang, Department of Peripheral Vascular Disease, Affiliated Hospital of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan 250014, Shandong Province, China
Lei Sun, Department of Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan 250001, Shandong Province, China
Shi-Yu Zhan, Department of Surgery, Longkou Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Yantai 265701, Shandong Province, China
Author contributions: Sun L conceived and designed the study; Zhang YW and Sun L participated in data processing and statistical analysis; Wang YN and Zhan SY supervised the review of the study; Zhang YW, Sun L, Wang YN, and Zhang SY drafted the manuscript and contributed to data analysis and interpretation; and all authors seriously revised and approved the final manuscript.
Supported by the Qilu Medical School Traditional Chinese Medicine Academic School Inheritance Project, No. 93 LW[2022]; Construction Project of the Inheritance Studio of National Famous Traditional Chinese Medicine Experts, Traditional Chinese Medicine Teaching Letter No. 75 [2022]; and Qilu Health and Fitness Talents in 2019, No. 3 LWRZ[2020].
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: You-Wen Zhang, PhD, Department of Peripheral Vascular Disease, Affiliated Hospital of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No. 16369 Jingshi Road, Jinan 250014, Shandong Province, China. zhang_you_wen@163.com
Received: August 2, 2024
Revised: October 28, 2024
Accepted: November 18, 2024
Published online: January 15, 2025
Processing time: 120 Days and 20.3 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND

Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) are a significant contributor to disability and mortality in diabetic patients. Macrophage polarization and functional regulation are promising areas of research and show therapeutic potential in the field of DFU healing. However, the complex mechanism, the difficulty in clinical translation, and the large heterogeneity present significant challenges. Hence, this study was to comprehensively analyze the publication status and trends of studies on macrophage polarization and DFU healing.

AIM

To examine the relevant literature on macrophage polarization in DFU healing.

METHODS

A bibliometric analysis was conducted using the Web of Science database. Relevant literature was retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection database between 2013 to 2023 using literature visualization and analysis software (VOSviewer and CiteSpace) and bibliometric online platforms. The obtained literature was then subjected to visualization and analysis of different countries/regions, institutions, journals, authors, and keywords to reveal the research’s major trends and focus.

RESULTS

The number of publications on the role of macrophage polarization in DFU healing increased rapidly from 2013 to 2023, especially in the latter period. Chinese researchers were the most prolific in this field, with 217 publications, while American researchers had been engaged in this field for a longer period. Qian Tan of Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital and Qian Ding of Nanjing University were the first to publish in this field. Shanghai Jiao Tong University was the institution with the most publications (27). The keywords “bone marrow”, “adjustment, replacement, response, tissue repair”, and “activation, repair, differentiation” appeared more frequently. The study of macrophage polarization in DFU healing focused on the regulatory mechanism, gene expression, and other aspects.

CONCLUSION

This study through the bibliometric method reveals the research trends and development trends in this field of macrophage polarization in DFU healing from 2013 to 2023 in the Web of Science Core Collection database. The key hotspots in this field mainly include the regulation of macrophage activation, gene expression, wound tissue repair, and new wound materials. This study provides references for future research directions.

Keywords: Diabetic foot; Wound healing; Macrophage polarization; Bibliometric analysis; Research cooperation; Research trend

Core Tip: This study was to comprehensively analyze the publication status and trends of studies on macrophage polarization and diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) healing. The number of publications on the role of macrophage polarization in DFU healing increased rapidly from 2013 to 2023, Chinese researchers were the most prolific in this field, while American researchers had been engaged in this field for a longer period. The keywords “bone marrow”, “adjustment, replacement, response, tissue repair”, and “activation, repair, differentiation” appeared more frequently. The study of macrophage polarization in DFU healing focused on the regulatory mechanism, gene expression, and other aspects.