Research Trends and Future Prospects on Solid Lipid Nanoparticles in the Early 21st Century - A Bibliometric Analysis

BACKGROUND: Research on Solid Lipid Nanoparticles has increased significantly due to their ability to improve drug delivery and control drug release from lipids. This bibliometric study illustrated SLN's evolution, co-authored networks between researchers, and research trends. METHODS: We analyzed 5,063 'Article' type publications obtained from the Web of Science Core Collection using the multi-tools VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and HistCite. RESULTS: Solid Lipid Nanoparticles' journal growth for publications and citations highlighted continued scientific interest in this area. India was the most productive country (1,003 publications). At the same time, the Free University of Berlin was the most productive institution, and the most productive authors, Souto, Eliana B. (98 publications, 16 collaborative links), and Mueller, R.H. (82 publications, 7 collaborative links), formed the core of the co-authorship network. Keywords associated and emerging frontiers indicated an innovative field evolving from formulation studies to one focused on application data. DISCUSSION: We traced the trajectory from the lowest-hanging fruit to use cases in grand challenges, but coverage of database bias remains a concern. CONCLUSION: The past twenty years have witnessed an increase in publications and citations, as evidenced by active contributions from numerous countries, institutions, and authors. Keyword analysis and emerging frontiers marked their hot topics and research directions.