Inflammation and Myocardial Ischemia-reperfusion Injury Study from 2006 to 2024: A Bibliometric Review

Myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (MI/R) injury research, a key area of interest within cardiovascular disease studies, has seen significant advancements, especially in understanding the way the inflammatory response worsens myocardial damage throughout the ischemia-reperfusion cycles. Despite extensive studies, a comprehensive bibliometric evaluation of the research landscape on inflammation and MI/R injury remains absent. This study uses bibliometric and knowledge mapping techniques to systematically assess the current status and trends of research in this area, providing insights for future investigations. Researchers conducted a data extraction spanning from January 1, 2006 to January 13, 2024 from the Web of Science Core Database, subsequently employing CiteSpace, VOSviewer, and R Studio software for analysis. A total of 1707 papers were identified, revealing primarily evolving research focuses including TNF-alpha, heart failure, NF-kappa B, nuclear factor kappa-B ligand receptor activator (RANKL), Nlrp3 inflammasome, apoptosis and nitric oxide. This investigation marks the first to visualize the inflammation and MI/R injury research field through bibliometric analysis, uncovering leading scholars, institutions, and thematic directions. The findings underscore a shift towards exploring the molecular mechanisms underlying inflammation and MI/R injury, guiding academics in pinpointing emerging research areas and potential collaborative opportunities.