Bibliometric Analysis of Metabolic Reprogramming In T Lymphocytes Reveals Research Trends And Emerging Hotspots,...

T lymphocytes are central regulators of immune responses, and recent studies have shown that metabolic processes influence T-lymphocyte activation, differentiation, and effector function in cancer and autoimmune diseases. This study performed a bibliometric analysis of publications from January 1, 2016, to December 31, 2025, retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection. CiteSpace was used for co-occurrence, co-citation, and clustering analyses of references and keywords. VOSviewer was applied to analyze journals, authors, references, countries, and institutions, while Scimago Graphica visualized national collaboration networks and Excel was used to evaluate annual publication trends. A total of 1,882 publications were included. Annual publication output increased steadily, with notable growth observed in 2021 and 2025. China contributed the highest publication volume, whereas the United States demonstrated greater citation impact. Frontiers in Immunology was the most productive journal, while Nature showed the highest citation influence. Keyword clustering and citation analyses identified evolving research hotspots focused on T-lymphocyte metabolic reprogramming, glucose and amino acid metabolism, and emerging interest in immune-cell metabolic interactions. Overall, this bibliometric analysis demonstrates continued expansion of research in T-lymphocyte immunometabolism and highlights emerging thematic directions, including intercellular metabolic regulation and lipid metabolism.