Prebiotics and asthma: current insights and future directions from a bibliometric analysis

Prebiotics have gained attention as a microbiome-modulating strategy in asthma because they may influence immune regulation through the gut-lung axis. However, evidence on prebiotics and asthma remains distributed across allergy, immunology, nutrition, microbiology, and respiratory medicine.

This study aimed to map global research trends, influential contributors, and thematic development in prebiotics-asthma research using bibliometric analysis.

This bibliometric study analyzed English-language articles and reviews indexed in Scopus. Prebiotic-related and synbiotic-related terms were combined using OR and then linked with asthma-related terms using AND. Eligible records were screened for relevance to prebiotics and asthma. Bibliometric analyses and visualizations were performed using Biblioshiny and VOSviewer to evaluate publication output, leading contributors, citation impact, keyword co-occurrence, and temporal research trends.

A total of 296 publications from 166 sources were included. The earliest eligible publication was published in 2002. Annual scientific production increased over time, with an annual growth rate of 13.66% and the highest output in 2024. Review articles outnumbered original articles. The United States was the leading contributor, followed by Australia, the Netherlands, Italy, and China. Keyword analysis identified three major domains: mechanistic and immunologic studies, early-life allergy prevention, and microbiota-focused modulation. Trend analysis showed a shift toward gut microbiome, short-chain fatty acids, immune dysregulation, and gut-lung axis.

Prebiotics-asthma research is a relatively recent but steadily growing field with increasing emphasis on microbiome-mediated and mechanistic pathways. However, asthma-specific translational evidence remains limited, supporting the need for standardized clinical studies and integrative multi-omic approaches.