SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Immunol.
Sec. Microbial Immunology
Structural and Temporal Dynamics of Nano-Based Therapies in Ulcerative Colitis: History, Hotspots, and Emerging Trends
Provisionally accepted
- General Hospital of Shenyang Military Command, Shenyang, China
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Background: Nanomaterial-based therapies have emerged as a promising approach for ulcerative colitis (UC). To systematically map the field, we performed a bibliometric analysis of research over the past 25 years, aiming to reveal knowledge evolution, core themes, and emerging trends. Methods: We searched the Web of Science Core Collection and Scopus for English-language publications (2001–2025) using the keywords “nanomaterials” and “ulcerative colitis” including original articles and reviews. After deduplication, 1,316 publications were analyzed using CiteSpace, HistCite, and R to construct collaboration networks, keyword co-occurrence maps, co-citation networks, and thematic evolution analyses. Results: UC-focused nanotherapeutics show sustained growth and increasing international collaboration, with China as the leading contributor. Analysis identified 57 subject categories, 537 keywords, and 899 publications with citation bursts. Five emerging themes were highlighted: gut microbiota, reactive oxygen species, NLRP3 inflammasome, drug delivery systems, and polymeric nanoparticles. Nanotechnology is increasingly integrated into UC pathogenesis studies, with a shift from passive drug delivery toward intelligent, mechanism-driven, and combination therapies. Co-citation analysis identified seven core areas, including inflammation regulation, targeted delivery, immune modulation, hydrogel carriers, and nanotherapeutics. Conclusion: This study maps the evolving landscape of UC nanotherapeutics, highlighting the field’s shift toward precise, intelligent, and mechanism-guided strategies. Future research should emphasize nanodesign, safety evaluation, and personalized therapies, facilitating translational innovation.
Keywords: Bibliometrics, Emerging frontiers, Nanotherapeutics, Research trends, ulcerative colitis
Received: 04 Nov 2025; Accepted: 03 Feb 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Shi, Gong, Cui and Yu. 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: Yang Gong
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