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Tracing copper's contribution to wound healing: A bibliometric and visual study
Zenan Li1, Wuliang Diao2, Xiangyu Chen3
1Department of Plastic Surgery, The Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410013, China.
Background:
Chronic non-healing wounds are associated with substantial morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs. Copper has attracted sustained attention because it combines pro-healing, pro-angiogenic, and antibacterial activities. However, the temporal evolution of this field and the transition from mechanistic studies to advanced copper-containing wound dressings have not been systematically visualized. This study aimed to map the research landscape, identify major hotspots, and characterize emerging directions in copper-based wound-healing research from 2000 to 2025.
Methods:
Publications published between 2000 and 2025 were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection. CiteSpace was used to perform country, institution, author, journal, keyword co-occurrence, keyword-clustering, and burst-keyword analyses to visualize the intellectual structure and temporal development of the field.
Results:
A total of 625 publications, comprising articles and review articles, were included. China was the leading contributor by publication output, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences was among the most productive institutions. The International Journal of Biological Macromolecules was the most productive journal in the dataset. Frequently occurring keywords included "Wound Healing," "Nanoparticles," and "Antibacterial." Keyword-clustering and burst analyses suggested a thematic progression from biological and molecular topics, including morphogenesis, expression, activation, and angiogenesis, toward copper nanoparticles, drug delivery, antibacterial therapy, green synthesis, hydrogels, metal-organic frameworks, and nanofibers.
Conclusion:
The bibliometric evidence suggests three overlapping thematic phases in copper-related wound-healing research: biological and mechanistic exploration, nanomaterial design and sustainable preparation, and multifunctional therapy using advanced wound-dressing platforms. Recent research themes emphasize controlled copper-ion release, antibacterial activity, cytocompatibility, and the integration of copper with hydrogels, nanofibers, metal-organic frameworks, and other biomaterials. These findings provide a bibliometric framework for future studies aimed at improving the safety, reproducibility, and translational potential of copper-based wound therapies.
