Bibliometric analysis of trends and hotspots in immune cells for fibrotic diseases

doi:10.12307/2026.441

Abstract

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Research on multi-organ fibrotic diseases has gained increasing prominence in recent years. Immune cells play a crucial regulatory role in the pathogenesis of fibrotic diseases across various organs; however, a comprehensive bibliometric analysis in this specific research field is currently lacking.
OBJECTIVE: To systematically analyze the current research status, hotspots, and emerging trends in the field of immune cells and fibrotic diseases using bibliometric methods.
METHODS: Publications on immune cells and fibrotic diseases of the liver, lungs, kidneys, and heart were collected from the Web of Science Core Collection database spanning January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2024. Bibliometric and visual knowledge mapping analyses were performed on the extracted data using VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and the R package "bibliometrix".
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: A total of 1 777 relevant articles were identified. These publications were contributed by 11 347 authors from 2 239 institutions across 73 countries and were published in 637 academic journals. From January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2024, the annual publication output demonstrated a consistent upward trend. China, the United States, and Germany were the leading contributing countries. Zhejiang University and Huazhong University of Science and Technology (China) were the most productive institutions, while Uniklinik RWTH Aachen (Germany) received the highest total citation count. The most prolific journal was Frontiers in Immunology. Frank Tacke and Christian Trautwein were the most published authors. The core keywords included liver fibrosis, pulmonary fibrosis, macrophages, expression, and activation. Overall, bibliometric analysis reveals a paradigm shift in this field, transitioning from a focus on single organs to a shared understanding of immune mechanisms. Research on fibrotic diseases has evolved from initial basic studies on liver fibrosis to the targeted molecular and cellular regulation of fibrosis in multiple organs, including the heart, lungs, and kidneys.

Key words: fibrosis, immune cells, bibliometrics, visual analysis, VOSviewer, CiteSpace, single-cell sequencing technology, macrophages

CLC Number:

Zhang Shuangzhen, Pan Ling, Liu Rui. Bibliometric analysis of trends and hotspots in immune cells for fibrotic diseases[J]. Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research, 2026, 30(25): 6680-6690.

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