A bibliometric analysis of 10 years of publications on L-citrulline

Context: L-citrulline is a non-essential amino acid primarily sourced from watermelon (Citrullus vulgaris). Many studies on L-citrulline have been conducted in the past 10 years. However, no bibliometric analyses have been performed. Aims: To establish bibliometric analysis as a comprehensive review of L-citrulline literature. Methods: Articles on L-citrulline published between 2013 and 2022 were retrieved from the Scopus database. The data was then analyzed for trends and quantity descriptions of authors, countries, and journals. The Vosviewer software was used to visualize the networks of keywords. Results: The analysis was conducted on September 9, 2022. From 2013 to 2022, 563 papers were retrieved in total. The number of L-citrulline publications had increased dramatically. The United States appeared to be the leading nation, providing the greatest number of publications and involving the world's leading writers and organizations. L-citrulline research has primarily concentrated on nitric oxide synthase, ergogenic aid, and exercise performance. Based on the analysis of keywords with the less frequent occurrence, this study also identified possible themes for future investigation, especially in topics such as ‘body composition’, ‘diabetic nephropathy’, ‘exercise capacity’, ‘human recombinant arginase I’, ‘lactate’, ‘lactation’, ‘microcirculation’, ‘reactive oxygen species’, ‘skeletal muscle’, ‘watermelon rind’ and ‘watermelon juice’. Conclusion: Publications on L-citrulline are essential, but the amount is still insufficient. Further research is required.