Exploring the Mechanisms of Traditional Chinese Medicine Intervention in Ischemic Stroke: A CiteSpace-Based Bibliometric Study and Visualized Analysis
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Authors
Clinical Medical College of Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Xianyang, 712046, China
The Second Affiliated Hospital of Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Xianyang, 712046, China
Clinical Medical College of Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Xianyang, 712046, China
Clinical Medical College of Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Xianyang, 712046, China
Clinical Medical College of Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Xianyang, 712046, China
Clinical Medical College of Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Xianyang, 712046, China
Clinical Medical College of Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Xianyang, 712046, China
School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Xianyang, Shaanxi 712046, China.
Abstract
Purpose: This study aims to analyze the research hotspots and emerging trends in the application of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for the intervention of Ischemic Stroke (IS) utilizing CiteSpace.
Method: A comprehensive search was conducted for pertinent publications within the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-Expanded) of the Web of Science Core Collection, covering the period from its inception to May 5, 2025 AD. CiteSpace was employed to generate a network map, facilitating the identification of leading authors, institutions, countries, keywords, co-cited authors, journals, references, and prevailing research trends.
Result: A comprehensive search yielded 1,929 pertinent articles from the SCI-Expanded database. Gao Ying and Wang Lei emerged as the most prolific authors in the SCI-Expanded database, with their publications appearing in various prominent journals. Long Enze and Wang Yi were identified as the authors with the highest citation counts. Leading institutions in this domain include Beijing University of Chinese Medicine and the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, with China being recognized as a dominant contributor to the field. The most frequently cited authors and references predominantly address the epidemiology and characteristics of IS. The top ten keywords, characterized by high frequency and median centrality, include activation, neural regeneration, ischemic stroke, cerebral infarction, Alzheimer's disease, rats, oxidative stress, reperfusion injury, cerebral ischemia, and blood-brain barrier. Notably, the keyword "cell death" exhibited the highest citation burst rate, while "molecular docking", "network pharmacology", and "cognitive impairment" have emerged as significant research frontiers.
Conclusion: This bibliometric analysis identified cell death, cognitive impairment, and brain–gut interactions as major research hotspots in TCM intervention for IS. Future studies should move beyond conventional network pharmacology and molecular docking toward integrating spatial transcriptomics, AI-driven drug discovery, and subtype-specific regulatory cell death research, while establishing a dynamic “TCM syndrome–microbiota–metabolite–brain target” framework to support precise brain–gut co-treatment strategies for IS.
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The data supporting the findings of this study are available from the Web of Science Core Collection (SCI-Expanded) and can be accessed using the search strategy described in the Methods section.