Knowledge mapping of macrophage in AKI: A bibliometric analysis

BACKGROUND: To study the role and mechanism of macrophages in acute kidney injury (AKI) using bibliometrics, to analyze the research hotspots and current status in this field, and provide a reference for scholars' research. METHODS: Records related to macrophages in AKI from 2003 to 2023 were collected from the Web of Science Core Collection database. Bibliometric and visualized analyses were performed using CiteSpace, VOSviewer, and other software. RESULTS: A total of 2156 publications were collected, and the literature related to macrophages associated with AKI accumulated year by year. There are 13,422 authors, 71 countries, 647 journals, and 2349 institutions involved in the study of macrophages in AKI, of which China and the United States contributed more than 60% of the publications and are the main drivers of research in this field. The University of São Paulo is the most active institution. Kidney International is the most published and frequently cited journal. Okusa, Mark D, is the most prolific author, and Bonventre JV is the most frequently co-cited author. High-frequency keywords in recent years include "immune cell," "mincle," "cell death," "TLR4," etc. Cell death (including autophagy), macrophage phenotype/polarization, extracellular vesicles, and NOD-like receptor protein 3 inflammasome are the current hot topics in the field. CONCLUSION: The role and mechanism of macrophages in AKI remain a research priority. In this study, a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of macrophage-associated AKI was performed to summarize and identify the current status and frontiers of macrophage research in AKI.