Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Jul 21:16:1619291.
doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1619291. eCollection 2025.

Worldwide hotspots and trends in stem cell therapy for kidney disease in the last decade: a bibliometric and visualization analysis from 2015 to 2024

Shengchun Liao #  1   2   3 , Xinyue Zhang #  4 , Yiting Zhou  1   2   3 , Lingchen Wang  2   3 , Chi Chen  3   5 , Chaoyang Ye  2   3 , Yuan Zhou  1   2   3 , Chen Wang  1   2   3
Affiliations

Worldwide hotspots and trends in stem cell therapy for kidney disease in the last decade: a bibliometric and visualization analysis from 2015 to 2024

Shengchun Liao et al. Front Immunol. .

Abstract

Background: Kidney disease represents a significant global health concern. Stem cell therapy has gained attention as a potential solution for chronic kidney disease, acute kidney injury, and end-stage renal disease. This study aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the status of stem cell therapy for kidney disease through a systematic review of the literature.

Methods: The literature included in this study was exclusively sourced from the Web of Science Core Collection. CiteSpace, VOSviewer, R-Bibliometrix, and the Literature Data Governance and Analysis System to evaluate factors such as publication quantity, author contributions, institutional involvement, geographic distribution, and keyword usage.

Results: This study on stem cell therapy for kidney disease included 1,874 articles. A significant number of publications came from China and the United States. The Mayo Clinic had the highest publication output, while Stem Cell Research & Therapy was the leading journal in terms of publication volume. Additionally, Lerman LO was the most prolific author in this field. Currently, there is a growing focus on mesenchymal stem cells and acute kidney injury models in this field. Future research is likely to explore topics such as extracellular vesicle-based therapies, various stem cell types, diabetic nephropathy, and membranous nephropathy.

Conclusion: This study applied bibliometric methods to assess the application and development of stem cell therapy for kidney disease over the past decade. It identified key research areas and forecasted future trends. The findings offer valuable insights for guiding future investigations into stem cell therapy for kidney disease.

Keywords: bibliometric; kidney disease; kidney injury; nephropathy; stem cell therapy.

PubMed Disclaimer

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
Flowchart of search strategy and screening.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Basic information and annual publications of the included literature. (A) Basic information of literature. (B) Annual publication volume of literature on stem cell therapy for kidney disease from 2015 to 2024.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Analysis of countries/regions engaged in research on stem cell therapy for kidney disease. (A) Occurrence of contributing countries/regions. (B) Density visualization of countries/regions. (C) Collaboration chord diagram of countries/regions. (D) The top 20 countries’ publication volume chart. (E) Annual distribution of publications by countries/regions. (F) Countries/regions collaboration map.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Analysis of institutions engaged in research on stem cell therapy for kidney disease. (A) The top 50 institutions’ publication volume chart. (B) Network map of institutions.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Analysis of journals in research on stem cell therapy for kidney disease. (A) Network map of journals. (B) Density visualization of journals. (C) The top 10 journals’ publication volume chart. (D) Overlay map of journals.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Analysis of authors engaged in research on stem cell therapy for kidney disease. (A) The top 50 authors’ publication volume chart. (B) Network map of authors’ collaboration. (C) Authors’ publication timeline.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Analysis of cited literature and references in research on stem cell therapy for kidney disease. (A) Network map of cited literature. (B) Density visualization of cited literature. (C) The top 10 cited literature volume chart. (D) Network map of cited references. (E) Density visualization of cited references. (F) The top 10 cited references volume chart.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Top 30 references with the strongest citation bursts in research on stem cell therapy for kidney disease.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Analysis of keywords in research on stem cell therapy for kidney disease. (A) Occurrence of keywords. (B) Density visualization of keywords. (C) Keywords cluster diagram. (D) The timeline of keywords. (E) The annual heatmap of keywords. (F) The keywords cloud diagram. (G) Top 20 keywords with the strongest citation bursts in research on stem cell therapy for kidney disease.
Figure 10
Figure 10
EVs ameliorate diabetic kidney disease via inhibition of the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Li PK, Chan GC, Chen J, Chen H, Cheng Y, Fan SLS, et al. Tackling dialysis burden around the world: a global challenge. Kidney Dis Basel Switz. (2021) 7:167–75. doi: 10.1159/000515541, PMID: - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Nugent RA, Fathima SF, Feigl AB, Chyung D. The burden of chronic kidney disease on developing nations: a 21st century challenge in global health. Nephron Clin Pract. (2011) 118:c269–277. doi: 10.1159/000321382, PMID: - DOI - PubMed
    1. Luyckx VA, Tonelli M, Stanifer JW. The global burden of kidney disease and the sustainable development goals. Bull World Health Organ. (2018) 96:414–422D. doi: 10.2471/BLT.17.206441, PMID: - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Peloso A, Katari R, Murphy SV, Zambon JP, DeFrancesco A, Farney AC, et al. Prospect for kidney bioengineering: shortcomings of the status quo. Expert Opin Biol Ther. (2015) 15:547–58. doi: 10.1517/14712598.2015.993376, PMID: - DOI - PubMed
    1. Hussen BM, Taheri M, Yashooa RK, Abdullah GH, Abdullah SR, Kheder RK, et al. Revolutionizing medicine: recent developments and future prospects in stem-cell therapy. Int J Surg Lond Engl. (2024) 110:8002–24. doi: 10.1097/JS9.0000000000002109, PMID: - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources