Bibliometric analysis of circadian rhythm and inflammation: trends and future directions

This study sought to examine trends, hotspots, and prospective directions in the interplay between circadian rhythm and inflammation over the past decade through bibliometric visualization, acknowledging their complex interrelationship. An extensive literature review was performed on circadian rhythm and inflammation, utilizing the Web of Science Core Collection database and covering the period from 2015 to 15 April 2025. Sophisticated software applications, such as CiteSpace and VOSviewer, were used to systematically investigate the patterns of co-occurrence and collaboration among various countries, institutions, journals, references, and keywords present in the literature. In addition, correlation mapping was employed to graphically represent the data. This study encompasses a total of 1,763 published pieces, which consist of 1211 research articles and 552 review papers. The publications analyzed predominantly originated from countries such as the United States, China, and the United Kingdom. The University of Manchester, Harvard Medical School, and Huazhong University of Science and Technology were identified as the foremost research institutions in this field. Notably, the International Journal of Molecular Sciences has had the most significant impact on research within this domain. A thorough examination revealed that the keywords most commonly encountered included “melatonin”, “oxidative stress”, “sleep”, “obesity”, “aging”, and “BMAL1”. A preliminary analysis suggests that future research may focus on circadian rhythm, metabolic syndrome, oxidative stress, gut microbiota, and circadian disruption, highlighting potential new research directions. This analysis constitutes the first bibliometric examination of the relationship between circadian rhythm and inflammation, utilizing visualization software. Importantly, this study has effectively identified emerging research frontiers and significant trends within the domain of circadian rhythm and inflammation, thus offering a substantial contribution to the existing body of literature.