AUTHOR=Liu Jiaxi , Gao Jinfang , Niu Qing , Wu Fengping , Wu Zewen , Zhang Liyun 

TITLE=Bibliometric and visualization analysis of mesenchymal stem cells and rheumatoid arthritis (from 2012 to 2021)

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Immunology

VOLUME=Volume 13 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2022.1001598

DOI=10.3389/fimmu.2022.1001598

ISSN=1664-3224

ABSTRACT=Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease that can lead to joint deformity and loss of function. Recent studies have shown that great progress in research on mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in RA. However, thus far there have been no bibliometric or visualization analyses in this field. This bibliometric analysis provides a comprehensive overview of the general information and research hotspots of MSCs and RA.
Methods: Articles relevant to MSCs and RA published from 2012 to 2021 were searched using the Web of Science Core Collection database. Irrelevant publications were excluded from analysis. VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and Scimago Graphica were used for bibliometric and visualization analyses.
Results: A total of 577 articles were analyzed. The annual number of publications increased from 2012 to 2017 and plateaued from 2017 to 2021. China and the USA had the largest number of publications. Collaborations among different organizations mainly occurred between institutes in the same country. Stem cell research and therapy and frontiers in immunology are the most popular journals in this field. Among the top 20 co-cited authors, all had a positive co-citation relationship. The top references indicate that MSCs can contribute to RA research and treatment, mainly via immunomodulation. From 2012 to 2021, “collagen-induced arthritis,” “immunomodulation,” and “therapy” were some of the keywords associated with MSCs and RA, while “extracellular vesicles” showed a strong burst from 2019 to 2021.
Conclusion: MSCs and RA have been widely studied in different countries and institutions and by different authors. Immunomodulation of MSCs is critical and popular in the treatment and pathophysiology of RA.