Global Hotspots and Frontier Landscapes of DNA Methylation in Reproductive Medicine (1993-2020): A Scientometric Analysis

BACKGROUND: DNA methylation is a major epigenetic modification of genomes in mammals, involving the regulation of many cellular processes. Increasing study focus on the correlation between DNA methylation and reproductive medicine. Thus, it is meaningful to systematically review the latest knowledge domain and provide a hallmark of DNA methylation in reproductive medicine. This study aimed to quantitatively analyze the intellectual structure, hot topics and emerging trends of DNA methylation-related studies in reproductive medicine using visualization software. METHODS: In the present study, we perform a qualitatively and quantitatively evaluation on publications about DNA methylation in reproductive medicine, using a visual exploration tool CiteSpace, to identify emerging trends and transient patterns in scientific literature. RESCULTS: A total of 660 records relating DNA methylation in reproductive medicine were retrieved the Web of Science core collection from 1993 to 2020. The number of the annual publications gradually increased. CiteSpace 5.3 was used to comprehensively analyze the publication information. Fertility and Sterility published the highest number of studies on DNA methylation. Nature and New England Journal of Medicine ranked the first in the frequency and centrality of cited journal. Among countries, the United States was the publication leader, and the top institute was Chinese Academy of Sciences with the most productions. Haaf T was the most representative author. Gene expression, epigenetics, in vitro fertilization, assisted reproductive technology, fertilization, and beckwith Wiedemann syndrome were the hot spots, and endocrine disruptor, genome-wide analysis, and the safety of assisted reproductive technology represented research frontiers. CONCLUSION: Scientometric analysis identifies that DNA methylation is still a hot topic in reproductive medicine, and provides valuable information for researchers to identify new perspectives on potential collaborators and cooperative institutions and shape the future research directions.