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. 2023 Sep 15:14:1266680.
doi: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1266680. eCollection 2023.

Insight into Nrf2: a bibliometric and visual analysis from 2000 to 2022

Yawei Ma  1 , Zhongqing Wang  2 , Yuedong Hu  1
Affiliations

Insight into Nrf2: a bibliometric and visual analysis from 2000 to 2022

Yawei Ma et al. Front Genet. .

Abstract

Background: Nrf2 plays a pivotal role in governing the antioxidant defense system, triggering the transcription of diverse genes involved in cellular protection. Its role in mitigating oxidative damage and modulating inflammatory processes has made Nrf2 an attractive target for therapeutic interventions. Despite the growing interest in Nrf2 research, a bibliometric analysis is relatively rare. This study aimed to clarify Nrf2's role in multiple diseases, identify emerging trends and hotspots using bibliometric analysis, and provide valuable insights and potential directions for future therapeutic interventions. Methods: The Science Citation Index of Web of Science Core library from 2000 to 2022 was searched on 22 October 2022. Use Microsoft Excel, CiteSpace, Bibliometrix, and VOS viewers for data collection and visualization of research focus and trends. Results: A vast collection of 22,040 research studies on Nrf2 published between 2000 and 2022 were identified. Nrf2 research has seen significant growth globally from 2000 to 2022. China leaded in publication numbers (9,623, 43.66%), while the United States dominated in citation frequency with 261,776 citations. China Medical University was the most productive institutions (459, 2.08%). Masayuki Yamamoto topped in publications (307), while Itoh K. ranked first in citations with 3669. Free Radical Biology and Medicine was the journal with the most studies and citations on Nrf2 (613, 29,687 citations). The analysis of keyword clustering enhanced the categorization of topics and can be summarized as oxidative stress, cancer, disorders in glycolipid metabolism, inflammation, and neurological conditions. Conclusion: China and the United States are the pioneers in Nrf2 research. Recently, there has been a comprehensive exploration of Nrf2 involving both experimental and clinical aspects, as well as mechanisms and therapeutic applications. Investigating novel molecular mechanisms, including NF-κB, Ho1, and Keap1, and developing enhanced, targeted Nrf2 activators or inhibitors to uncover the interplay among cancer, glycolipid metabolic disorder, inflammation, and neurological disorders will be upcoming trends and hotspots.

Keywords: Nrf2; VOSviewer; bibliometric analysis; citespace; visualization.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
A diagram depicted the sequential evaluation and selection steps. The study encompassed English-language articles published between 2000 and 2022, with the removal of any duplicate publications.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Nrf2-related Publication volume overview. The annual publication number and cumulative publication number during 2000 and 2021.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
The involvement of various countries in Nrf2 research. (A) Nrf2 research collaboration map across countries. Countries are represented by circles, while lines illustrate their collaborations. The weight corresponds to the publication count, line thickness denotes the strength of collaboration, and distinct colors highlight clusters. (B) Density map of countries. The evolution of colors demonstrates the volume of national publications. (C) World map illustrating the density of cooperation among countries. (D) A chord diagram assessing the global collaboration among clusters.
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Visualization of the institutions involved in research on Nrf2. The study encompassed English-language articles published between 2000 and 2022, with the removal of any duplicate publications.
FIGURE 5
FIGURE 5
Publications and co-citation network of journals to the field of Nrf2 research. (A) Annual publications of the top 10 journals. (B) Cumulative publications of the top 10 journal. (C) The network of collaboration among the top 100 co-cited journals. The nodes indicate the number of citations, while the links represent the intensity of cooperation. (D) The journals co-citation network clustering. The use of different colors for nodes and links in the visualization represents the chronological occurrence of co-citation relationships.
FIGURE 6
FIGURE 6
The dual-map visualization presents journals. Citing journals are positioned on the left, while cited journals are positioned on the right. The presence of citation relationships is represented by pathways colored in orange or green.
FIGURE 7
FIGURE 7
Authors active in the study of Nrf2. (A) The cooperation network of co-occurring authors visualized using VOSviewer. (B) Co-cited authors. (C) Three-field plot of the authors analysis on Nrf2. Notes: three-field plot of the authors analysis (middle field: authors; left field: countries; right field: institutions).
FIGURE 8
FIGURE 8
Co-cited references concerning Nrf2. (A) Reference co-citation network. The circles depicted in the visualization represent the co-cited literature, revealing the relationships and connections among the referenced articles. (B) Map illustrating the density of co-cited references. (C) Graphical representation of the network structure of cited references. (D) Visual depiction of the network structure of co-cited references related to Nrf2 research, organized into distinct clusters.
FIGURE 9
FIGURE 9
The 45 references that experienced the most significant surges in citations. The red bars indicate the durations of the bursts, while the strength denotes the degree of citation intensity for the literature.
FIGURE 10
FIGURE 10
The representation of keyword mapping focusing on Nrf2. (A) The top 315 keywords were visually represented in a network visualization, with five clusters denoted by different colors (red for Cluster 1, green for Cluster 2, blue for Cluster 3, yellow for Cluster 4, and purple for Cluster 5) after removing irrelevant terms and merging synonyms. Node size reflects the frequency of occurrence. (B) Visualization of keywords based on density. (C) Occurrences of the top 30 keywords on a yearly basis. (D) In the timeline view, keyword clusters are displayed according to their co-occurrence in pathfinder pruning. Clusters are represented as horizontal lines, with their size inversely proportional to the assigned number, Cluster #0 represents the most dominant cluster, with the node size reflecting the frequency of co-occurrence. The connections among nodes signify the interactions of co-occurrence. Furthermore, the year of node occurrence signifies the initial co-citation.
FIGURE 11
FIGURE 11
The summative insight map of Nrf2.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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