A Bibliometric Analysis of Research on the Links Between Gut Microbiota and Atherosclerosis

BackgroundEmerging evidence has linked gut microbiota (GM) and its related metabolites to atherosclerosis (AS). This study aimed to analyze the evolution of GM in AS in the past decades, and provide valuable insights in this field. MethodsWeb of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) was applied to retrieve the publications related to GM in AS from their inception until 2 December 2021, and the data was analyzed in Microsoft Excel, Scimago Graphica, CiteSpace, and VOSviewer. ResultsIn total, 560 documents were extracted from the WoSCC databases. The publications have shown rapid growth since 2008. China and Cleveland Clin were the most prolific country and institution, respectively. The journal with the most publications is Nutrients, and Nature was the most co-cited journal. Among 3556 related authors, Hazen, Stanley L., Tang, W. H. Wilson, and Wang, Zeneng were the top 3 contributing authors in this field. Aside from gut microbiota, atherosclerosis, the terms TMAO, metabolite, obesity, and phosphatidylcholine were frequently occurred in the abstract and title of articles. Burst detection of keywords indicated that metabolic syndrome, acid, and bile acid were hot topics in recent years. According to the co-citation analysis of references, the research focus in this area has changed over time, and recent researches focus on choline, hypertension, butyrate, and berberine. ConclusionOur study showed that the researches of GM in AS have been flourishing, and the content themes were constantly deepened. Human GM is critical to atherosclerotic diseases, and this hot topic is still worthy of more focus in the future.

Automated summary

The study analyzed the development of gut microbiota (GM) in atherosclerosis (AS) over the past decades and provided valuable insights. It found a rapid growth in publications on GM in AS since 2008. China and Cleveland Clin were identified as the most prolific country and institution, respectively. The journal with the most publications was Nutrients, while Nature was the most co-cited journal. The research focus in this area has changed over time, with recent studies focusing on choline, hypertension, butyrate, and berberine. The study concluded that GM plays a critical role in atherosclerotic diseases and suggested that this topic deserves more attention in the future.