Global Evolution of Skeletal Muscle Tissue Engineering: A Scientometric Research

• Published in: Tissue engineering. Part C, Methods Methods, 2021-09, Vol.27 (9), p.497-511
• Main Authors: Du, Xincheng, Xu, Fang, Qiao, Haowen, Liu, Wenwen, He, Xingdao, Yan, Jiayu, Qin, Xingping, Ou, Gaozhi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Methods Article
• ISSN: 1937-3384; 1937-3392
• DOI: 10.1089/ten.tec.2021.0156

Skeletal muscle tissue engineering (SMTE) is of great significance in the study of skeletal muscle physiology and pathology, which could be used in skeletal muscle graft. The scientometric analysis of SMTE can help researchers to quickly understand the evolutive history, status, novelties, and trend of this field. In this study, we performed a scientometric study that can be used to construct and visualize networks of SMTE using VOSviewer. A total of 1384 documents published between 1994 and 2020 were retrieved and analyzed. Our results showed that number of publications in SMTE has increased slowly from 1994 to 2014 and has increased rapidly from 2015 to 2020. The geographical distribution of publications in terms of total publications about SMTE is concentrated in Europe and the United States. The most productive institution was University of Michigan, while Harvard University and the University of Pittsburgh were ranked the second and third places. SMTE influenced a wide spectrum of disciplines, including Biology and Medicine and Physical Sciences . In addition, the research hotspot of SMTE was expanding from seed cells to the combination with advanced strategies (electrostatic spinning, bioprinting, and materials) for emulating the highly bionic engineered skeletal muscle tissues. This study provided a unique perspective for understanding the history and trends of SMTE, which could help to promote the rapid development of the field.