Mapping the research landscape of TGF-β1 in airway remodeling (1994-2024): A bibliometric analysis

Transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) is involved in airway remodeling in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) through extracellular matrix deposition, pro-fibrotic signal transduction and structural changes. This study used bibliometric methods to draw the development context and current research trends of TGF-β1-related airway remodeling research. On July 18, 2024, we queried the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) to retrieve relevant records. Subsequent bibliometric analyses were performed using VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and R package "bibliometrix" to map collaborative networks, keyword co-occurrences, and emerging research frontiers. A total of 920 articles published from 1994 to 2024 were included, involving 5398 authors from 2652 institutions in 215 countries/regions. China had the highest global productivity with 290 publications. The University of California System was the leading institution with 65 publications. At the level of the individual author, Gosens Reinoud was the most productive author (with 17 publications). At the journal level, articles were mostly published in the American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology. Keyword analysis identified "expression," "inflammation," "asthma," and "growth-factor-beta" as frequent terms. Finally, burst detection illustrated "epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)" and "oxidative stress" as important topics that have emerged recently. This bibliometric analysis maps the main contributors, cooperation networks, and evolving research topics of TGF-β1-related airway remodeling. This field has been centered on cellular mechanisms and inflammatory pathways, while recent studies have increasingly focused on oxidative stress and epithelial-mesenchymal transition. These findings may help guide the prioritization of future airway remodeling research.