Evolution and global research trends of immunity in diabetic nephropathy: a bibliometric and visual analysis from 2004 to 2023

Background Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is the leading cause of end-stage renal disease, with an increasing prevalence worldwide, but its pathomechanisms remain incompletely understood.

Accumulating evidence suggests that immunity plays an important role in the development of DN.

Many papers have been published in the field over the last 20 years, but there has been no bibliometric review of the research hotspots and trends in the field.

This study aimed to assess the current research status and future trends of the link between immune and DN using bibliometric analysis.

Methods Publications on the association between immunity and DN from 2004 to 2023 were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection database and screened according to inclusion criteria.

VOSviewer and CiteSpace software were employed to visualize research trends and hotspots in the field.

Data including author, institution, country, journal, reference, and keyword were analyzed.

Results Ultimately 1246 publications meeting the criteria were included in the bibliometric analysis, involving 838 articles (84.96%) and 408 reviews (15.04%).

The literature covered 81 countries and regions, 1751 institutions, and 6584 authors.

The top 2 countries in terms of the number of publications were China (435) and the United States (318), and they collaborated most frequently.

The United States had the highest number of citations for published papers (18,161), far exceeding the other countries.

England had 38 publications but had the highest average number of citations (92.32).

The University of California system was the most prolific institution (25 papers, 1062 citations, 42.48 citations per paper).

Frontiers in Immunology was the most prolific journal in the field (30 papers).

The most cited journal was Kidney International (863 citations).

The analysis of keywords and references showed that inflammation, ferroptosis, and lipid metabolism may be future research hotspots in this field.

Conclusions The number of publications related to immunity and DN has increased annually over the past 20 years, with a significant increase in the last 3 years especially.

Our results identified research hotspots and trends in the field.

These findings provide valuable perspectives for future research, enhancing our understanding of the immune-related mechanisms of DN and exploring potential therapeutic strategies.