REVIEW article
Front. Mol. Med.
Sec. Molecular Pathology
Volume 5 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmmed.2025.1608862
Bibliometric analysis in the field of solute carriers: Trends and research hotspots
Provisionally accepted
- Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China
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BACKGROUND: Solute carrier (SLC) proteins represent a critical category of membrane transport proteins within human cells, playing essential roles in the transport of substances both intercellularly and intracellularly, as well as in energy transfer, nutrient metabolism, signal transduction, and various other vital physiological processes.This bibliometric analysis aims to elucidate the research hotspots and developmental trends associated with SLC proteins, while also summarizing their knowledge structure. METHODS: A comprehensive search of the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) was conducted for articles and reviews pertaining to soluble transport proteins published between 2013 and 2023. Bibliometric analysis and visualization were executed utilizing Microsoft Excel, Scimago Graphica, Citespace, and VOSviewer. RESULTS: A total of 4,024 documents from the WoSCC were retrieved, comprising 3,502 articles and 522 reviews. The predominant contributions originated from China and the United States. The International Journal of Molecular Sciences emerged as the leading publisher of SLC-related papers, while the Journal of Biological Chemistry ranked as the most co-cited journal. The primary focus areas of these publications encompassed molecular biology and pharmacology. Keyword analysis, after filtering generic terms, highlighted "ferroptosis" as a prominent SLC-specific hotspot, reflecting its unique association with SLC-mediated processes. CONCLUSION: This analysis identifies key trends in SLC research, including their roles in ferroptosis, metabolic regulation, and cancer mechanisms. Gaps include understudied intracellular SLC functions and limited exploration of rare SLC variants. Opportunities lie in targeting SLC proteins for drug development and personalized medicine. These findings guide future research and highlight priorities for interdisciplinary advancement.
Keywords: Bibliometrics, SLC, Transport proteins, Research trends, Scientific Visualization
Received: 09 Apr 2025; Accepted: 16 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Guo, Su and Liu. 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: Qian Liu, liuqian@gxmu.edu.cn
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.