Pyroptosis in cardiovascular diseases: A bibliometric insight into current research and future directions

Pyroptosis, a unique form of programmed cell death, has emerged as an area of keen interest in cardiovascular disease (CVD) research. This study mapped the knowledge structure, research trends, and emerging directions of pyroptosis research in CVD.

We performed a bibliometric analysis of English-language articles and reviews on pyroptosis in CVD published in the Web of Science Core Collection from January 1, 2006, to September 30, 2023. After independent eligibility assessment by 2 reviewers, the records were analyzed using VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and the bibliometrix R package. A targeted PubMed search conducted on July 30, 2026, was used only to contextualize representative developments published after the bibliometric cutoff.

We identified 3337 studies and reviews addressing pyroptosis in the context of CVD from 2006 to September 30, 2023. The analysis revealed that China had the highest number of publications, whereas the United States exhibited a more substantial impact in the field. Network analysis showed robust collaborative networks, particularly among the United States, China, and several European countries, with the top 10 contributing institutions hailing from the United States and China. Term frequency analysis identified "NLRP3 inflammasome," "pyroptosis," and "inflammation" as the most frequent keywords.

This bibliometric analysis provides a reproducible historical baseline of cardiovascular pyroptosis research through September 2023. A targeted post-cutoff update indicates that subsequent work has increasingly focused on cell-specific gasdermin D and gasdermin E execution, immunometabolic and post-translational regulation, multimodal profiling, and direct gasdermin inhibition. These developments strengthen the trends identified in the original networks, while the continued predominance of preclinical evidence underscores the need for pathway-specific biomarkers and clinical validation.