Hotspots Evolution and Cutting-Edge Trends: A Bibliometric Analysis of Autophagy in Myocardial Infarction Studies From 2007 to 2025.

Abstract

Background: Myocardial infarction (MI), a severe cardiovascular disorder, has a well-established association with autophagy and disease progression. However, bibliometric analyses of this relationship remain limited.

Methods: All literature related to autophagy in MI published between 2007 and 2025 was collected from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) and Scopus. The final database search was conducted on December 31, 2025. HistCite Pro, CiteSpace, VOSviewer, SCImago Graphica, and Origin were used for bibliometric analysis and visualization.

Results: This search identified 649 publications on autophagy in MI. China was the most productive country, with Harbin Medical University as the leading institution. Researchers from Japan also made substantial contributions. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications published the highest number of articles. Sadoshima, Junichi was the most active researcher in this field. Current research hotspots include "oxidative stress" (the most recent focus) and "survival" (with the strongest citation bursts).

Conclusions: This bibliometric analysis synthesizes research trends in autophagy-related MI studies from 2007 to 2025. Future research should prioritize elucidating the mechanistic roles of autophagy in MI, particularly the interplay between mitophagy and the NLRP3 (NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain-containing Protein 3) pathway, to facilitate the development of more effective clinical interventions.