Global trends, translational gaps, and emerging research directions in Pleurotus spp. bioactivity research: a 25-year scientometric analysis.

Abstract

Introduction: Pleurotus spp. have attracted significant scientific interest for their diverse bioactive compounds and broad pharmacological potential. Despite the rapid growth of the literature, a comprehensive scientometric synthesis of this research landscape remains limited.

Methods: This study used a systematic scientometric approach to analyze global research trends in Pleurotus bioactivity from 2000 to 2025. Key analyses included publication productivity, citation dynamics, co-authorship and country-level collaboration networks, keyword co-occurrence mapping, and thematic evolution.

Results: The results reveal relatively stable publication output accompanied by a marked increase in citation impact after 2012, indicating growing intellectual consolidation and global recognition of the field. China and India dominate research productivity, whereas citation influence is more widely distributed, highlighting disparities between output and impact. Thematic evolution shows a shift from early studies on cultivation and compositional profiling toward advanced research in molecular bioactivity, gut microbiota modulation, enzymatic biotechnology, and circular bioeconomy applications. Emerging directions include precision nutraceutical development, optimization of extraction and fermentation processes, and agro-industrial waste valorization. Despite increasing interdisciplinary integration and strong preclinical evidence, collaboration networks remain partially fragmented, and translation into clinical and industrial applications remains limited.

Discussion: These findings indicate that while research on Pleurotus has reached a stage of disciplinary maturity, significant gaps persist in standardization, clinical validation, and scalability. Addressing these challenges will require integrative omics approaches, strengthened global collaboration, and translational frameworks to bridge the gap between laboratory discoveries and real-world applications.