Comprehensive Bibliometric Analysis of Uremic Toxin Research

Area of Science:

• Nephrology
• Biochemistry
• Bibliometrics

Background:

• Uremic toxins accumulate in chronic kidney disease, causing systemic issues.
• Previous research lacks a comprehensive overview of uremic toxin studies.
• Understanding research trends is crucial for advancing the field.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantitatively analyze research trends on uremic toxins using bibliometric methods.
• To identify key molecules and emerging research areas.
• To highlight knowledge gaps and future research directions.

Main Methods:

• Bibliometric analysis of literature from Web of Science and EUTox databases.
• Keyword frequency, network, and citation burst analyses were performed.
• Identification of protein-bound toxins and those with limited clinical toxicity data.

Main Results:

• A total of 3302 articles show an increasing research trend.
• Gut microbiota-related topics show a significant increase in interest.
• Indoxyl sulfate and p-cresyl sulfate are the most frequently studied toxins.
• Trimethylamine-N-oxide has gained recent attention.
• 15 underreported toxins with potential clinical significance were identified.

Conclusions:

• Gut microbiota and associated uremic toxins are current research hotspots.
• There is a need for further investigation into underreported uremic toxins.
• Defining the clinical significance of these toxins is essential for patient outcomes.