Zhou Rao Rao, Pang Yi Ming, Ding Xue Ting, Huang Jing Rui, Liang Dan, Zhang Yuan Yu, Wang Chun Fang, Li Wen Jin, Li Peng Hua, Han Yi Chen, Li Peng Cui
Key Laboratory of Bone and Soft Tissue Injury, Department of Orthopedics, Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, People's Republic of China.
Department of Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, People's Republic of China.
Medicine (Baltimore). 2025 Jul 11;104(28):e42602. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000042602.
Cell apoptosis is a prominent research area in the field of osteoarthritis. However, comprehensive bibliometric analyses systematically evaluating the current state of research in this field are scarce. This study reviews the existing literature on apoptosis in osteoarthritis and identifies global research hotspots to locate future research trends in this field.
The Web of Science core database was used as the data source to retrieve relevant studies on apoptosis in osteoarthritis published between 2009 and 2025. Subsequently, the data were subjected to comprehensive visual analysis using the R package"Bibliometrix," VOSviewer, and CiteSpace. This analysis included visualizing the publication output, examining citation patterns, and exploring the co-occurrence of high-frequency keywords to construct a visual network.
A total of 1431 papers from 1719 institutions across 59 countries/regions were included in this study. From 2009 to 2025, a noticeable upward trend in the number of publications is observed. China contributed the highest number of published papers (n = 895). Shanghai jiao tong university exhibited the highest productivity (n = 40). Wang Y (n = 27) emerged as the most prolific contributor, and the journal Osteoarthritis and Cartilage was the most productive and has the largest number of citations. The analysis of high-frequency keywords revealed important themes in the field, including cartilage tissue, autophagy, inflammatory responses, proliferation, cartilage repair, cartilage degradation, extracellular vesicles, exosomes, regeneration, and network pharmacology.
This study highlights important progress in understanding cellular apoptosis in osteoarthritis (OA). China has become the leading contributor, surpassing the U.S. and South Korea. Previous research on apoptosis in OA mainly focused on inflammation, stress, and disease mechanisms. Future studies are expected to explore cartilage tissue engineering and network pharmacology, offering new strategies for treating cartilage diseases and injuries.
细胞凋亡是骨关节炎领域的一个重要研究方向。然而，系统评价该领域当前研究状况的综合文献计量分析却较为匮乏。本研究回顾了骨关节炎中细胞凋亡的现有文献，并确定全球研究热点，以定位该领域未来的研究趋势。
以Web of Science核心数据库为数据源，检索2009年至2025年间发表的关于骨关节炎中细胞凋亡的相关研究。随后，使用R包“Bibliometrix”、VOSviewer和CiteSpace对数据进行综合可视化分析。该分析包括可视化发表产出、检查引用模式以及探索高频关键词的共现情况，以构建可视化网络。
本研究共纳入了来自59个国家/地区1719个机构的1431篇论文。从2009年到2025年，发表数量呈现出明显的上升趋势。中国发表的论文数量最多（n = 895）。上海交通大学的产出率最高（n = 40）。王Y（n = 27）是贡献最多的作者，《骨关节炎与软骨》杂志的产出最多且被引次数最多。高频关键词分析揭示了该领域的重要主题，包括软骨组织、自噬、炎症反应、增殖、软骨修复、软骨降解、细胞外囊泡、外泌体、再生和网络药理学。
本研究突出了在理解骨关节炎（OA）细胞凋亡方面的重要进展。中国已成为领先贡献者，超过了美国和韩国。先前关于OA中细胞凋亡的研究主要集中在炎症、应激和疾病机制方面。未来的研究有望探索软骨组织工程和网络药理学，为治疗软骨疾病和损伤提供新策略。
