Knowledge Mapping of Macrophage in Spinal Cord Injury: A Bibliometric Analysis

BACKGROUND: Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating condition, often leading to significant disability and impairment. As crucial immune cells, macrophages play a critical role in the pathophysiology of SCI. Understanding the current state of knowledge and research trends related to macrophages in SCI is crucial for developing effective therapeutic interventions. METHODS: Using search strategies, we retrieved relevant articles from the Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC), resulting in a robust dataset for analysis. VOSviewer, Cite-space, and PRISM were employed for analysis and visuali-zation. Various bibliometric indicators, including publication trends, citation analysis, co-authorship networks, and keyword analysis, were utilized to assess the scholarly landscape of macrophage research in SCI.RESULTS: Our findings revealed a steady increase in publications over the past 33 years, indicating a growing interest in this field. We identified Popovich Phillip G was the most influential author, Ohio State University was the most influential institution, and identification of 2 distinct macrophage subsets with divergent effects causing either neurotoxicity or regeneration in the injured mouse spinal cord was the most influential paper in this field. -CONCLUSIONS: This bibliometric analysis provides a comprehensive overview of the current knowledge land-scape and research trends regarding macrophages in SCI. Neuroinflammation and macrophage polarization, trans-plation and molecular mechanism were emerging research areas and novel directions. Our study serves as a valuable resource for researchers in spinal cord injury research and therapeutic development.