Natural Plant-Derived Materials in Bone Tissue Engineering: Mapping Publication Status and Exploring Research Hotspots

Natural plant-derived materials are increasingly investigated for bone tissue engineering because they combine renewability, structural tunability, and compatibility with biomimetic scaffold design. This study mapped the publication status, intellectual base, and emerging themes of the field through a bibliometric analysis of Web of Science Core Collection records published from 1996 to 2026. The expanded search retrieved 2,198 records; after eligibility screening, 2,024 articles and reviews were retained. Annual output remained limited before 2011, increased after 2012, and accelerated after 2017, reaching 198 publications in 2025, while 152 publications had already been indexed for the partial year of 2026. After Taiwan was merged with China for country-level analyses, China was the largest publication center, followed by the United States, India, Iran, and South Korea. The University of Minho was the most productive institution, and International Journal of Biological Macromolecules was the leading publication source. Cocitation and keyword analyses indicate that the field is grounded in scaffold architecture, biomineralization, cellulose and nanocellulose, bacterial cellulose, natural polymer composites, and systems for bone regeneration and localized delivery. Recent bursts in antibacterial materials, three-dimensional printing, scaffolds, bone repair, and alginate point toward multifunctional, manufacturable, and clinically adaptable platforms. These findings provide an updated knowledge map and identify priorities for sustainable and translational bone-regeneration strategies.Impact StatementNatural plant-derived materials are increasingly positioned as sustainable building blocks for bone tissue engineering, yet the field remains fragmented across biomaterials, polymer science, nanotechnology, and regenerative medicine. This bibliometric study maps the global evolution, intellectual structure, and emerging directions of research on plant-derived materials for bone regeneration from 1996 to 2026. By identifying the central roles of cellulose-based materials, biomineralized composites, scaffold architecture, localized delivery, antibacterial design, and additive manufacturing, this work clarifies how the field is shifting from passive structural matrices toward multifunctional and clinically adaptable regenerative platforms. The findings provide researchers with an evidence-based knowledge map to guide material selection, scaffold design, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the translation of renewable bio-based materials into effective bone-repair strategies.