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Cross database bibliometric and knowledge mapping analysis of nanoplatform mediated tumor associated macrophage
Chang Su1, Jiayue Gao2, Boyang Li1,3
1Coronary Heart Disease Ward, Heart Center of Henan Provincial People's Hospital, Fuwai Central China Cardiovascular Hospital, Central China Branch of National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, No.1 Fuwai Road, Zhengdong New District, Zhengzhou, 451464, Henan, P.R. China.
Background:
Nanoplatforms are evolving from passive delivery vehicles into multifunctional engineered systems capable of remodeling the tumor microenvironment. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are important biological interfaces because of their abundance, plasticity, and roles in immune suppression and therapeutic resistance. However, the knowledge structure and developmental trajectory of nanoplatform-mediated TAM reprogramming remain insufficiently characterized.
Methods:
We performed a bibliometric and knowledge-mapping analysis using independently retrieved Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) and Scopus datasets with cross-database comparison and consistency assessment. English-language articles and reviews published from January 1, 2007, to March 25, 2026, were included, yielding 1,474 WoSCC and 2,077 Scopus records. Analyses used bibliometrix, VOSviewer, CiteSpace, BiblioVista, and Scimago Graphica.
Results:
Publication output increased markedly in both databases, particularly after 2019, with highly concordant annual trends (Spearman's ρ = 0.996, p < 0.001). The field was primarily represented in nanoscience, materials science, pharmacology, biomaterials, and biomedical engineering. China and the Chinese Academy of Sciences were the leading country and institution, while ACS Nano and Journal of Controlled Release formed the principal journal core. Keyword, burst, thematic, and milestone analyses supported a heuristic five-stage transition from macrophage-addressable nanodelivery to material-intrinsic immunomodulation, microenvironment-responsive TAM reprogramming, biomimetic and combinatorial nano-immunotherapy, and programmable innate-immunity-centered nanoplatforms. Translation-related themes remained comparatively less visible.
Conclusion:
Nanoplatform-mediated TAM reprogramming has developed into a rapidly expanding interdisciplinary research area linking nanoplatform engineering, macrophage-directed regulation, and tumor microenvironment remodeling. Future advancement will likely depend on increasingly sophisticated platforms alongside improved reproducibility, standardization, predictable in vivo behavior, and clinical translatability.