Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: There is increasing interest in the clinical use and experimental evaluation of mesenchymal stem cells in animal models of osteoarthritis (OA); however, no bibliometric analysis has been published on this topic. METHODS: A bibliometric analysis was performed using the bibliometrix R package by analyzing the documents registered in the WOS database from 2015 to 2024. The registers were evaluated according to overview, sources, authors, documents, words, trend topics, clustering, and conceptual intellectual and social structures. RESULTS: The articles were mainly published in Stem Cell Research and Therapy, OA and Cartilage, International Journal of Molecular Sciences, Scientific Reports, American Journal of Sports Medicine, Journal of Orthopedic Research, Stem Cells International, Arthritis Research and Therapy, and Biomaterials. The most productive institutions were Zhejiang University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and Peking University, and the most productive countries were China, the USA, and Korea. The most frequently used keywords were OA, mesenchymal stem cells, and cartilage. The trending topics in this area are cartilage repair, exosomes, and extracellular vesicles. The collaborative network of authors, institutions, and countries is led by Chinese authors and institutions. CONCLUSION: This bibliometric analysis reveals a significant increase in research on mesenchymal stem cells for OA, primarily led by Chinese institutions. Key topics include cartilage repair and exosomes, highlighting a collaborative global network that is shaping the future of therapeutic strategies in this field.