Global Scientific Trends in the Use Of Mesenchymal Stem Cells for the Treatment of Diabetes Mellitus from 2000 to 2023: A Bibliometric Study.

Background: Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease that seriously endangers human health, and mesenchymal stem cell [MSC] therapy is an emerging medical approach. Therefore, analyzing the effectiveness of MSCs in the literature is highly important for building relevant knowledge networks and promoting development in this field.

Methods: The Web of Science database was selected as the source of literature, and all the literature on MSCs in diabetes from January 1, 2000, to October 18, 2023, was selected. After screening, CiteSpace and VOSviewer were imported into bibliometric software to construct the knowledge visualization map. Journal analysis, author analysis, country/region analysis, reference analysis, and keyword analysis were performed.

Results: A total of 2912 articles and reviews were included. The number of articles on the use of MSCs for the treatment of diabetes is increasing annually. These publications originate mainly from 90 countries and 278 institutions, of which China and the United States were the top producers. We identified 15384 authors, with Liu Jiejie having the largest number of articles and Shapiro Amj being the most frequently co-cited. Stem Cell Res Ther was the most studied journal, and Diabetes was the most frequently cited journal. After analysis, the most common keywords were MSCs, diabetes mellitus, expression, transplantation, and differentiation.

Conclusions: Research into MSC-based interventions for diabetes is booming. In the future, cooperation and connections between various countries and institutions should be strengthened. MSCinduced differentiation into insulin-producing cells, MSCs homing in vivo, the therapeutic effect of MSCs on diabetic nephropathy, and the therapeutic effect of exosomes secreted by MSCs constitute the current research hotspots and development trends for future research.