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. 2025 Jun 21;16(1):1173.
doi: 10.1007/s12672-025-02953-x.

Cutting-edge dynamics and research hotspots on boswellic acid in cancer: a bibliometrics analysis from 1994 to 2024

Minghe Lv #  1 , Lei Tang #  2 , Yue Feng  1 , Su Zeng  1 , Hongwei Zeng  1 , Jingping Yu #  3   4 , Qing Ji #  2 , Ruping Zhao #  5
Affiliations

Cutting-edge dynamics and research hotspots on boswellic acid in cancer: a bibliometrics analysis from 1994 to 2024

Minghe Lv et al. Discov Oncol. .

Abstract

Background: Recent studies have highlighted the potential of boswellic acid as a promising therapeutic option in cancer treatment. Despite its growing relevance, there has been a lack of bibliometric analysis exploring the relationship between boswellic acid and cancer. The primary objective of this study was to provide a comprehensive overview of the research landscape, knowledge structure, and emerging trends surrounding boswellic acid and its potential use in oncology.

Method: We conducted a search in the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) database for publications related to boswellic acid and cancer from 1994 to 2024. Bibliometric analysis was performed using tools such as VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and the R package "bibliometrix" to visualize and interpret the data.

Results: The analysis included 332 publications from 49 different countries, with India and China leading in research output. The number of annual publications on boswellic acid and cancer has steadily increased since 2015. The University of Nizwa was identified as the leading institution contributing to this field. The European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry emerged as the most popular journal for publishing articles on this topic, while Planta Medica and Cancer Research received the highest citation counts. The author with the highest number of publications was Al-Harrasi Ahmed, and the most frequently co-cited researcher was Jian-Jun Liu. Emerging research hotspots include key terms such as "phytochemicals", "pharmacokinetics", and "bioavailability".

Conclusion: This bibliometric analysis provides valuable insights into the current state of research on boswellic acid in cancer treatment. It serves as a useful resource for researchers and scholars seeking to explore the evolving landscape of boswellic acid's role in oncology, highlighting that "phytochemicals", "pharmacokinetics", and "bioavailability" might be the key research directions and trends of boswellic acid in cancer research.

Keywords: AKBA; Bibliometrics; Boswellic acid; Cancer.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Not applicable. Consent for publication: All the authors declare their consent to the publication of the article. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Literature screening process
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
The quantity of research publications on boswellic acid in cancer each year
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
The geographical dispersion and visual representation of nations about boswellic acid in cancer. A Country collaboration map. B Country production over time. C Collaborative network based on the amount of publications and inter-country linkages. D Top 10 countries by citations. E Top 10 corresponding author’s countries
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
An illustration of research institutes focused on boswellic acid in cancer. A Collaborative network based on the amount of publications and inter-institution linkages. B Affiliations’ production over time
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
The display of journals and co-cited journals on research of boswellic acid in cancer. A Collaborative network based on the amount of publications and inter-journal linkages. B Collaborative network based on the amount of publications and inter-co-cited journals linkages. C Sources’ production over time. D Top 10 most relevant sources of boswellic acid in cancer. E Top 10 sources’ local impact by H-index. F Top 10 most local cited sources of boswellic acid in cancer
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
The illustration of the research on boswellic acid in cancer by authors and co-cited authors. A Collaborative network between authors. B Collaborative network between co-cited author. C Top 10 authors’ local impact by H-index
Fig. 7
Fig. 7
The display of co-cited references and reference with citation bursts analysis of boswellic acid in anti-cancer research. (A) Collaborative network between references. (B) Top 10 most local cited relevant references. (C) Top 15references with the strongest citation bursts
Fig. 8
Fig. 8
The visualization of cluster analysis of keywords and trend topic analysis. A Collaborative network between keywords. B Top 10 most relevant keywords. C Glossary cloud map of keyword. D Top 10 keywords’ frequency over time. E Tree map of keywords. F Trend topic map of boswellic acid in cancer
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