Global hotspots and prospective trends for chondrocyte metabolic changes and oxidative stress in osteoarthritis: A bibliometric analysis

• Bibliometric approaches were adopted to quantitatively present the current status. • Research hotspots of metabolic changes in OA were revealed by visual analysis. • Prospects and challenges of development were comprehensively proposed. • Major metabolic mechanisms in OA were systematically overviewed and explained. Osteoarthritis (OA) is a prevalent age-related degenerative joint disorder characterized by dysregulation of metabolism. While several studies have examined the metabolic changes in OA, there exists a lack of a comprehensive retrospective analysis of its current development, research hotspots, and future trends. In this study, we employed bibliometric approaches to retrospectively review the development, mechanisms, and future trends of metabolic changes in OA. We utilized VOSviewer software to quantitatively and visually depict: (a) annual temporal trends in literature and citation counts; (b) national/regional publications and collaborations; (c) institutional and author contributions; (d) journal contributions and relevance; (e) analysis of research hotspots and directions through keywords. By analyzing keywords and research hotspots, we systematically illustrated the influential factors of metabolic changes in OA, including inflammation, apoptosis, oxidative stress, and autophagy. Conclusively, the research field of metabolic changes in OA is rapidly expanding, and we aim to provide a more comprehensive and insightful perspective for targeting metabolic disorders in OA.