Global Advances and Frontiers of Phytochemicals in Tumor Research: A Bibliometric Study (2010-2023)
Abstract
Objectives: Analysis of advances, hotspots and frontiers of tumor-related phytochemicals by scientifc bibliometric methods during 2012-2023. Background: Natural phytochemicals are abundantly found in nature and have a wide range of biological activities. Phytochem-icals have been shown to provide both curative and preventive benefts on many chronic diseases such as cancers. Tumor research on phyto-chemicals is one of the felds with the greatest potential for expansion in the world. However, there is still much to explore about the action mechanism of phytochemicals, the efcacy and safety of application in vivo, and the value of clinical practice. Methods: Atotal of 6523 arti-cles on tumor-related phytochemicals were identifed from the Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC) database for research on tumor-re-lated phytochemicals. The bibliometric analysis was carried out using CiteSpace and the R package “Bibliometrix”. Results: The analysis includes 6523 publications from 144 nations or regions, with China leading the way. The number of annual publications increased rapidly from 2012 to 2022 and reached a maximum in 2022. China published the most articles, followed by India and the United States. There is a wide range of collaborations between countries, with Saudi Arabia and Egypt being the closest partners. LI Y has produced the most research outputs, yet Prof. Liu RH has received the most local citations. Although MOLECULES has the most articles, FOOD CHEMISTRY is the journal with the highest H-index. The main topics include phytochemical mechanisms and clinical applications in carcinogenesis and devel-opment. “Secondary metabolite”, “green synthesis”, “functional food”, and “degradation” all exhibit signifcant citation burstness between 2019-2023. Conclusions: This study is the frst to apply bibliometrics to examine the development of phytochemicals in oncology research over the period 2010-2023, which gives researchers a brief overview of advances, hotspots, and potential future trends in the feld.
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