Macrophage bibliometric study and visualization in myocardial ischemia-reperfusion.

Abstract

Purpose: Restoration of blood flow after tissue ischemia aggravates the injury, a phenomenon known as ischemia-reperfusion injury. And ischemia-reperfusion injury of myocardium becomes a common cause of death after surgery in many patients. Relevant studies have proved that ischemia-reperfusion of myocardium has a strong correlation with autophagy, macrophage, endoplasmic reticulum, etc. Therefore, this paper systematically summarises and discusses the macrophage research in myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury through visual research and metrological analysis, hoping to point out the direction for the researcher in this field.

Methods: We conducted a comprehensive search of publications on myocardial IRI and macrophages in the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) database, covering the period from 2008 to June 2024. Bibliometric tools (CiteSpace, VOSviewer, and Excel) were used to analyze various factors such as publication trends, countries, institutions, journals, authors, and keywords. Visual maps were created to identify current research hotspots and forecast future developments in the field.

Results: For this study we included a total of 1039 relevant studies, with a dynamic upward trend in the number of publications. China and the United States are in the top two in terms of the number of publications. The institution with the most publications is Fudan University, and the one with the most collaborations is the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. We also obtained the most publications with the highest number of citations and the highest impact factor. Inflammatory processes, mitochondrial autophagy, endoplasmic reticulum stress, and macrophages are current hotspots. Exploring molecular proteins and effective strategies to inhibit myocardial I/R injury may become the focus of future research.

Conclusion: Macrophages have emerged as a key area of focus in myocardial IRI research in recent years. This is the first bibliometric study to comprehensively analyze the research landscape on macrophages and myocardial IRI, providing valuable insights for researchers and guiding future developments in the field.