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SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article

Front. Pharmacol.
Sec. Neuropharmacology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1403767
This article is part of the Research Topic Reviews In Neuropharmacology 2023: Microbiota Gut-Brain Axis, Therapeutic Insights for Neurodegenerative Diseases View all 4 articles

Global research status and trends of enteric glia: a bibliometric analysis

Provisionally accepted
Huai-Yu Li Huai-Yu Li 1Wei-Xin Yan Wei-Xin Yan 1Jia Li Jia Li 2Jing Ye Jing Ye 3Zhi-Guo Wu Zhi-Guo Wu 2Zheng-kun HOU Zheng-kun HOU 1*Bin Chen Bin Chen 4*
  • 1 Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
  • 2 Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
  • 3 School of Clinical Medicine, Jiangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, China
  • 4 The First Affiliated Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Enteric glia are essential components of the enteric nervous system. Previously believed to have a passive structural function, mounting evidence now suggests that these cells are indispensable for maintaining gastrointestinal homeostasis and exert pivotal influences on both well-being and pathological conditions. This study aimed to investigate the global status, research hotspots, and future directions of enteric glia. Methods: The literature on enteric glia research was acquired from the Web of Science Core Collection. VOSviewer software (v1.6.19) was employed to visually represent co-operation networks among countries, institutions, and authors. The co-occurrence analysis of keywords and co-citation analysis of references were conducted using CiteSpace (v6.1.R6). Simultaneously, cluster analysis and burst detection of keywords and references were performed. Results: A total of 514 publications from 36 countries were reviewed. The United States was identified as the most influential country. The top-ranked institutions were University of Nantes and Michigan State University. Michel Neunlist was the most cited author. “Purinergic signaling” was the largest co-cited reference cluster, while “enteric glial cells (EGCs)” was the cluster with the highest number of co-occurring keywords. As the keyword with the highest burst strength, Crohns disease was a hot topic in the early research on enteric glia. The burst detection of keywords revealed that inflammation, intestinal motility, and gut microbiota may be the research frontiers. Conclusion: This study provides a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of enteric glia research. EGCs have emerged as a crucial link between neurons and immune cells, attracting significant research attention in neurogastroenterology. Their fundamental and translational studies on inflammation, intestinal motility, and gut microbiota may promote the treatment of some gastrointestinal and parenteral disorders.

    Keywords: Enteric glial cells, Enteric Nervous System, bibliometric analysis, purinergic signaling, Inflammation, intestinal motility, Gut Microbiota

    Received: 19 Mar 2024; Accepted: 08 May 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Li, Yan, Li, Ye, Wu, HOU and Chen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Zheng-kun HOU, Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
    Bin Chen, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, 510405, Guangdong Province, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.