Bibliometric and visual analysis of spinal cord injury-associated macrophages from 2002 to 2023

Spinal cord injury (SCI) triggers motor, sensory, and autonomic impairments that adversely damage patients' quality of life. Its pathophysiological processes include inflammation, oxidative stress, and apoptosis, although existing treatment options have little success. Macrophages have a vital function in controlling inflammation in SCI, with their M1-type and M2-type macrophages dominating early inflammatory effects and late brain tissue repair and regeneration, respectively. However, there is a dearth of rigorous bibliometric study in this sector to explore its dynamics and trends. This study intends to examine the current status and trends of macrophage usage in SCI using bibliometric methodologies, which may drive novel therapeutic options.

In this study, the Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC) was utilized to collect publications and reviews on macrophages in SCI from 2002 to 2023. Bibliometrics and visualization analyses were performed by VOSviewer, CiteSpace, the R package "bibliometrix", and online analytic platforms. These analyses covered a variety of aspects, including countries and institutions, authors and co-cited authors, journals and co-cited journals, subject categories, co-cited references, and keyword co-occurrences, in order to provide insights into the research trends and hotspots in this field.

1,775 papers were included in the study, comprising 1,528 articles and 247 reviews. Our research analysis demonstrates that the number of relevant studies in this sector is expanding, specifically the number of publications in the United States and China has risen dramatically. However, there are fewer collaborations between institutions in different nations, and international cooperation needs to be reinforced. Among them, Popovich PG became the leader in the field, and significant journals include Experimental Neurology, Journal of Neurotrauma, and Journal of Neuroscience. Research hotspots involve macrophage polarization, microglia, astrocytes, signaling, cytokines, inflammation, and neuroprotection.

This analysis gives, for the first time, a comprehensive overview of bibliometric studies on macrophages in SCI over the past 20 years. This study not only gives an extensive picture of the knowledge structure but also indicates trends in the subject. The systematic summarization gives a complete and intuitive understanding of the link between spinal cord damage and macrophages and provides a great reference for future related studies.