Trends and emerging frontiers of mesenchymal stem cells in intervertebral disc degeneration: a bibliometric analysis (2000-2024)

Abstract

Background: Intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD) is a major global cause of disability, and mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy offers a promising regenerative solution by targeting the root causes of degeneration, unlike conventional symptom-focused treatments. This bibliometric analysis explores trends and emerging research areas in MSC applications for IVDD.

Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted in the Web of Science Core Collection database, covering publications from 2000 to 2024. Bibliometric and visualized analysis was performed using VOSviewers, CiteSpace and the R package "Bibliometrix."

Results: This bibliometric analysis reviewed 931 articles, revealing an overall upward trend in publication activity. Leading authors included Sakai Daisuke, Grad Sibylle, and Alini Mauro. China and the USA led in publication volume and citation counts, while the United Kingdom achieved the highest average citations per publication. The University of Pennsylvania and Zhejiang University were the most productive institutions. Key journals included Biomaterials, Spine, and Tissue Engineering Part A. Earlier core keywords primarily focused on foundational concepts such as "gene expression," "articular cartilage," "anulus fibrosus" and "extracellular matrix." Recent keyword bursts include "activation," "autophagy," "extracellular vesicles," "apoptosis," "exosome," and "oxidative stress."

Conclusion: This bibliometric analysis revealed key research focuses on foundational biological mechanisms, translational applications, and addressing specific challenges in the use of MSC for IVDD. Future research is likely to focus on optimizing MSC functionality, developing cell-free therapies such as extracellular vesicles, and targeting the molecular mechanisms involved in disc degeneration and regeneration.

Keywords: CiteSpace; VOSviewer; bibliometric analysis; intervertebral disc degeneration; mesenchymal stem cells; regenerative medicine.

Figure 1

Flowchart of the literature screening process.

Figure 2

Analysis of general information. (A) Summary Information of the included studies. (B) Annual number of publications on mesenchymal stem cells in IVDD from 2000 to 2024.

Figure 3

Analysis of countries. (A) Distribution of corresponding author’s publications by country. The number of publications attributed to corresponding authors from different countries, distinguishing between single country publications (SCP) and multiple country publications (MCP). (B) Visualization map depicting the collaboration among different countries. The collaborative relationships between countries, with nodes representing countries, the size of nodes indicating publication count, and the thickness of links showing the strength of co-authorship collaborations.

Figure 4

Analysis of institutions. (A) Top ten institutions by article count and rank. The circle size shows the article count, with darker shades indicating higher ranks. (B) Visualization map depicting the collaboration among different institutions. Nodes represent institutions, with size indicating publication count. Links represent co-authorships, with thickness showing collaboration strength. Colors indicate different research clusters. Total link strength in collaboration networks measures the frequency of co-authorship between institutions, indicating the level of collaborative research.

Figure 5

Analysis of journals. (A) Co-occurrence Network of Journals. The frequency with which journals are cited together within the same articles reflects thematic or topical connections between the research they publish. (B) Coupling Network of Journals. The extent to which journals are linked is based on common references cited in their articles, indicating a shared intellectual foundation or research focus.

Figure 6

Visualization map depicting the collaboration among different authors. Nodes represent authors, with size indicating publication count. Links represent co-authorships, with thickness showing collaboration strength. Colors indicate different research clusters. Total link strength in collaboration networks measures the frequency of co-authorship between authors, indicating the level of collaborative research.

Figure 7

Visual analysis of keyword co-occurrence network analysis. Each node represents a keyword, with size indicating its frequency of occurrence. Links between nodes represent co-occurrence in the same documents, with thicker lines showing stronger associations. Colors reflect the average publication year of the articles, as indicated by the color gradient at the bottom right. The transition from purple to green to yellow represents the timeline of keywords, with purple indicating older terms and yellow representing the most recent ones.

Figure 8

Top 20 keywords with the strongest citation bursts from 2000 to 2024. The blue lines represent the period, and the red lines indicate the burst periods of the keywords.