A Bibliometric and Knowledge-Map Analysis of Macrophage Polarization in Atherosclerosis From 2001 to 2021

In recent years, studies of macrophage polarization in atherosclerosis have become an intense area of research. However, there are few bibliometric analyses regarding this area. In this review, we used CiteSpace 5.8.R3 and VOSviewer 1.6.16 software to perform text mining and knowledge-map analysis. We explored the development process, knowledge structure, research hotspots, and potential trends using a bibliometric and knowledgemap analysis to provide researchers with a macroscopic view of this field. The studies concerning macrophage polarization in atherosclerosis were downloaded from the Web of Science Core Collection. A total of 781 studies were identified and published by 954 institutions from 51 countries/regions. The number of studies of macrophage polarization in atherosclerosis increased over time. Arteriosclerosis Thrombosis and Vascular Biology published the highest number of articles and was the top co-cited journal. De Winther was the most prolific researcher, and Moore had the most co-citations. The author cooccurrence map illustrated that there was active cooperation among researchers. The most productive countries were the United States and China. Amsterdam University, Harvard University, and Maastricht University were the top three productive institutions in the research field. Keyword Co-occurrence, Clusters, and Burst analysis showed that inflammation, monocyte, NF kappa B, mechanism, and foam cell appeared with the highest frequency in studies. Oxidative stress, coronary heart disease, and prevention were the strongest citation burst keywords from 2019 to 2021.

Automated summary

This review utilized bibliometric and knowledge-map analysis to explore the development process, knowledge structure, research hotspots, and potential trends of macrophage polarization in atherosclerosis. The analysis revealed active cooperation among researchers, with the United States and China being the most productive countries and Amsterdam University, Harvard University, and Maastricht University being the top productive institutions. The keyword co-occurrence, clusters, and burst analysis showed the common themes and citation burst keywords in the research.