Diabetic retinopathy: a bibliometric visualization analysis of miRNA-based research

The pathological mechanisms of diabetic retinopathy (DR), the most common microvascular complication of diabetes, have not been fully clarified. Recent studies have demonstrated the potential of miRNAs in the early diagnosis and targeted therapy of DR. Since the first article on DR and miRNA research in 2011, research in this field has been developing rapidly. The aim of this study is to reveal the development trend, research pattern and core themes in this field by analysing the literature of DR-related miRNA research from 2011 to 2024, so as to provide a reference for future research directions. A systematic analysis of DR and miRNA-related literature in the Web of Science core database from 2011–2024 was conducted using bibliometric methods. By statistically counting the number of publications, national/regional contributions, institutional collaborations, journal distribution, keyword co-occurrence and highly cited articles, and combining with tools such as VOSviewer or CiteSpace to construct a visual network, we assessed the research hotspots, international collaboration patterns and field influence. The literature analysis of DR and miRNA research from 2011-2024 showed a significant increase in the number of publications in the last 5 years. China was dominant, but results from the United States and Canada were more frequently cited on average. Nanjing Medical University topped the list of institutional contributions with high productivity and citations, and formed the strongest collaborative network with Fudan University. In the journal distribution, Investigative Ophthalmology and Vision Science led in terms of publications and citations, while Frontiers in Endocrinology became an important platform for the dissemination of cutting-edge results by virtue of its high impact factor. Keyword co-occurrence analysis showed that traditional themes and emerging directions’ coexisted. Reviews accounted for most of the highly cited articles, with Kovacs et al. (2011) on the role of miRNAs in early DR receiving the highest citation frequency, highlighting the key role of reviews in integrating knowledge in the field. This study reveals the trends, topical issues, and new emerging frontiers of miRNAs in DR research, providing new insights into the clinical diagnosis and treatment of DR. In addition, in the future, it is necessary to strengthen international cooperation to balance the high production in China with the high influence in Europe and the United States, to focus on the intersection of new mechanisms such as cyclic RNAs and inflammation regulation with traditional pathways, to enhance the dissemination of results by relying on high-influence journals, and to strengthen the integrative role of the review on the domain knowledge, so as to promote the clinical translation of the diagnosis and treatment of DR.