Bibliometric analysis of research hotspots on mitochondria and spinal cord injury treatment

doi:10.12307/2026.269

Abstract

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Mitochondria are vital for axonal regeneration and apoptosis following spinal cord injury, making them an essential area of therapeutic research for this condition.
OBJECTIVE: To summarize literature on mitochondria and spinal cord injury treatment, using bibliometric methods to elucidate the current research landscape, global trends, and comprehensive academic understanding in this field.
METHODS: We retrieved relevant literature published between 1990 and 2024 from the Web of Science Core Collection database on topics related to mitochondria and the treatment of spinal cord injury. Visual analysis was conducted using CiteSpace 5.8 and VOS Viewer 1.6.18 software to draw knowledge maps and examine metrics such as publications, centrality, and H-index. Keyword analysis, co-cited journal analysis, co-cited document analysis, highly co-cited document analysis, and publication burst analysis were conducted to identify research hotspots and directions within the field.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: A total of 558 publications were included in this bibliometric analysis, involving 48 countries, 3 036 authors, 713 institutions, and 252 journals contributing to the field of mitochondrial and spinal cord injury treatment. This analysis demonstrated a consistent annual rise in publications within this field, with the United States and China showing strong global performance in terms of publication output, citation frequency, key authors, and research institutions. Although apoptosis and oxidative stress remain current research hotspots, future work should delve into crucial aspects such as molecular mechanisms, inflammatory responses, and neural repair, recognizing the vital function of mitochondria in axonal regeneration and apoptosis following spinal injury. Mitochondria hold tremendous potential in the field of spinal cord injury treatment. While overall research standards in this area have steadily improved in recent years, significant challenges remain. These include a limited number of high-quality publications and substantial disparities in research progress across different regions. Researchers are therefore required to further refine their work to address these concerns.

Key words: spinal cord injury, mitochondria, bibliometrics, visualization analysis, research hotspots, trends

CLC Number:

Wang Lei, Hu Baoyang, Fang Fang. Bibliometric analysis of research hotspots on mitochondria and spinal cord injury treatment[J]. Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research, 2026, 30(29): 7764-7772.

Figures/Tables 12

大利和加拿大也位列引用频次前5(图4A)。图4B展示了各国及地区间的合作关系网络，节点大小与发文量呈正比，美国和中国因较高的发文量呈现出较大节点；此外，以英国、瑞典和意大利为代表的欧洲国家之间合作关系较为紧密。 2.3 线粒体与脊髓损伤治疗领域研究机构与学者表2列出了该领域基于发文量和引用频次排名前10的机构。其中，发文量最多的机构是肯塔基大学(53篇，4.41%)，其次是锦州医科大学(12篇，1.00%)、约翰斯·霍普金斯大学(12篇，1.00%)。总引用频次最多的机构是肯塔基大学(n=3 722，6.06%)，其次是约翰斯·霍普金斯大学(n=1 800，2.93%)、哈佛大学(n=1 524，2.48%)(图5A，B)。从研究机构贡献与合作的可视化网络图及研究机构中介中心度值看出，肯塔基大学处于该领域研究的前沿，该机构对该领域相关研究的认可度很高(图5C，D)。共有3 036位学者在该领域发表相关文章。作者发文量及其文章引用频次可反映他们在该领域的影响力。通过分析作者与引用作者的合作网络能够识别出具有影响力的学者，为研究人员寻找潜在合作对象提供参考[17]。其中，Sullivan, Patrick G.发表文章最多，为25篇，约占总发文量的0.7%；Rabchevsky, Alexander G.发表文章16篇，约占总发文量的0.45%；Hall, Edward D.发表文章15篇，约占总发文量的0.42%(图6A)。被引用频次最高的作者为Sullivan, Patrick G.，共被引1 410次，其次是Hamblin, Michael R.、Huang, Ying-Ying、Sharma, Sulbha K.等，被引1 135次(图6B)。表3列出了该领域文献数量和引用次数排名的前10位作者。H指数(一个人在一定期间内发表的论文至少有H篇的被引频次不低于H次)前4位的作者分别为Sullivan, Patrick G.、Hamblin, Michael R.、Patel, Samir P.、Springer, Joe E(图6C)。Sullivan, Patrick G.在该领领域占据领先地位。作者共现网络显示该领域内有4个合作团体，各组内部作者共现联系密切，组间作者也存在合作关系(图6D)。 2.4 线粒体与脊髓损伤治疗领域期刊、被引用文章和共同引用文章该领域相关研究发表于252种期刊，其中发文量排名前10的期刊累计发表146篇文章，发文量排名前2位的期刊为《Journal Of Neurotrauma》和《Experimental Neurology》，其被引频次也位居前2位(图7A，B)，表明《Journal of Neurotrauma》和《Experimental Neurology》在该领域研究中具有重要影响力。表4列出了该领域发文量与被引频次排名前10的期刊。H指数排名前3的期刊分别为《Journal of Neurotrauma》《Experimental Neurology》和《Brain》(图7C)。图7D为Web of Science核心合集数据库该领域研究期刊双图叠加分析。期刊网络可视化分析结果显示，被引频次最高的期刊为《Journal of Neurotrauma》《Experimental Neurology》和《Brain Research》(图7E，F)。表5列出了被引频次最多的10篇文章。其中，CHUNG 等[18]于2012年发表的《The "

nuts and bolts of low-level laser (light) therapy》被引高达903次，位居第一，该文献明确指出低水平激光疗法的核心作用机制与线粒体密切相关，低水平激光疗法通过调节线粒体能量代谢、信号分子释放实现了对炎症、损伤等有治疗作用。排名第二的是DUMONT等[19]于2001年发表的《Acute spinal cord injury, part 1: pathophysiologic mechanisms》，被引586次，该文献明确指出通过保护线粒体功能可以减轻脊髓损伤进展、减少神经细胞的死亡，为后续脊髓损伤临床治疗提供了理论靶点和方向。MARTIN等[20]于1998年发表的《Nueurodegeneration in excitotoxicity, global cerebral ischemia, and target deprivation: a perspective on the contributions of apoptosis and necrosis》被引572次，该文献对兴奋性毒性、全脑缺血等导致神经退行性变机制进行研究，为脊髓损伤研究提供了思路，比如可以从抑制兴奋性毒性、调节细胞死亡形式、保护线粒体功能等方向去探索治疗脊髓损伤的新方法。在高被引文献中，Chung于2012年发表的文章被引频次最高(图8A，B)。表6列出了共引用频次排名前10的文章。其中，SULLIVAN等[21]于2007年发表的《Temporal characterization of mitochondrial bioenergetics after spinal cord injury》共被引频次最高(共被引频次48)，文献主要研究了脊髓损伤后线粒体生物能量学的变化，阐述了线粒体在脊髓损伤病理过程中的重要作用。排名第二的是BASSO等[22]1995年发表的《A sensitive and reliable locomotor rating scale for open field testing in rats》，共被引38次，该文献指出从肢体运动、尾巴位置、关节运动、躯干姿势、步幅和体质量支撑能力等多个方面对大鼠后肢功能进行评估，为研究人员提供了一种更具辨别力的行为结果测量方法，以评估脊髓损伤后的治疗效果。此外，SULLIVAN等[23]2004年发表的《Intrinsic differences in brain and spinal cord mitochondria: Implication for therapeutic "

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