Bibliometric analysis of research hotspots on mitochondria and spinal cord injury treatment

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Mitochondria are vital for axonal regeneration and apoptosis following spinal cord injury, making them an essential area of therapeutic research for this condition. OBJECTIVE: To summarize literature on mitochondria and spinal cord injury treatment, using bibliometric methods to elucidate the current research landscape, global trends, and comprehensive academic understanding in this field. METHODS: We retrieved relevant literature published between 1990 and 2024 from the Web of Science Core Collection database on topics related to mitochondria and the treatment of spinal cord injury. Visual analysis was conducted using CiteSpace 5.8 and VOS Viewer 1.6.18 software to draw knowledge maps and examine metrics such as publications, centrality, and H-index. Keyword analysis, co-cited journal analysis, co-cited document analysis, highly co-cited document analysis, and publication burst analysis were conducted to identify research hotspots and directions within the field. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: A total of 558 publications were included in this bibliometric analysis, involving 48 countries, 3,036 authors, 713 institutions, and 252 journals. The number of publications in the field of mitochondria and spinal cord injury treatment has shown an increasing trend year by year. The United States and China have performed prominently in this field, ranking among the top globally in terms of publication output, citation frequency, core authors, and research institutions. Currently, research hotspots in this field focus on apoptosis and oxidative stress. Future research directions may center on molecular mechanisms, inflammatory responses, and neural repair. The field of mitochondria and spinal cord injury treatment holds great promise, with steady improvement in overall research level in recent years, but still faces challenges such as limited high-quality literature and significant regional disparities in research progress, which require further efforts by researchers.

1. Introduction

The spinal cord is a part of the central nervous system, containing nerves that receive sensory information and control motor responses. Spinal cord injury (SCI), as a severe central nervous system injury, leads to loss of sensory, motor, and autonomic nervous system functions below the level of injury [1-5]. SCI is a complex pathophysiological process, including primary and secondary injuries. Primary injury is usually unpredictable and almost impossible to intervene, so researchers focus on secondary injury. Currently, there are various improvement strategies for SCI, including surgical treatment, drug therapy, cell transplantation, and nanotechnology [6-9], but effective treatment options are still lacking. To address this challenge, researchers are actively exploring innovative experimental and therapeutic approaches.

Mitochondria are key organelles in cells, present in almost all cells except red blood cells, and perform multiple important functions, including promoting ATP and reactive oxygen species generation, storing calcium ions, and participating in the regulation of programmed cell death, controlling cell survival [10-11]. After SCI, secondary injury causes mitochondrial dysfunction, disrupting oxidative phosphorylation, significantly reducing energy release and ATP production efficiency, and inactivating ATP-dependent ion pumps required for regulating ion concentrations and uptake of the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate. This dysfunction ultimately triggers excitotoxicity, calcium overload, and initiates cell death cascades, leading to apoptosis [12-14]. Improving mitochondrial function for SCI recovery is not a single intervention but a multidimensional approach that blocks cell death cascades, protects existing cells, regulates immunometabolism to promote inflammation resolution, repairs neural structures, and replenishes functional cells, enhancing local neural structure and functional reconstruction, and facilitating motor and sensory recovery, thereby breaking the vicious cycle after SCI.