Abstract
BACKGROUND: One of the major global causes of death and disability is ischemic stroke (IS). Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) emerge as a cell-based therapy for numerous diseases. Recently, research on the role of MSCs in ischemic stroke has developed rapidly worldwide. Bibliometric analysis of MSCs for IS has not yet been published, though. AIM: Through bibliometric analysis, the aim of this study was to assess the current state of research on MSCs in the field of ischemic stroke research worldwide and to identify important results, major research areas, and emerging trends. METHODS: Publications related to MSCs in ischemic stroke from January 1, 2002, to December 31, 2022, were obtained from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC). We used HistCite, VOSViewer, CiteSpace, and Bibliometrix for bibliometric analysis and visualization. We employed the Total Global Citation Score (TGCS) to assess the impact of publications. RESULTS: The bibliometric analysis included a total of 2,048 publications. The 1,386 papers used in this study were authored by 200 individuals across 200 organizations in 72 countries, published in 202 journals. Cesar V Borlongan published the most documents among high-productivity authors. Michael Chopp was the author with the highest average number of citations per paper, with an average paper citation time of 118.54. We found that research of MSCs in ischemic stroke developed rapidly starting in 2008. Neurosciences were the most productive journals, and Chinese researchers have produced the most research papers in this subject. The most cited article is "Systemic administration of exosomes released from mesenchymal stromal cells promotes functional recovery and neurovascular plasticity after stroke in rats". CONCLUSION: This study uses both numbers and descriptions to thoroughly review the research on MSCs related to IS. This information provides valuable experience for researchers to carry out MSCs' work on IS.