Macrophages in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Bibliometric Analysis of Research Trends and Emerging Frontiers

Summary

This study systematically delineates the research landscape and evolving frontiers of the field of systemic lupus erythematosus and macrophages from 2016 to 2025 using bibliometric analysis.

Abstract

This study systematically analyzed 1,197 articles on the role of macrophages in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) published from 2016 to 2025 using bibliometric methods based on the Web of Science Core Collection. The analysis examined publication trends, collaborative networks, research themes, and the knowledge base to elucidate the current research landscape, core research forces, and frontier evolution in this field. The number of publications peaked at 154 in 2022, while annual citations increased overall from 184 in 2016 to 9,030 in 2025, indicating active and impactful research. China ranked first in publication volume (379 articles), whereas the United States led in total citations (18,838) and international collaboration centrality. Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Karolinska Institutet were the most productive institutions, with 23 articles each. Frontiers in Immunology (impact factor = 5.9; Journal Citation Reports quartile 1) was the most productive journal. Keyword timeline clustering identified 13 major research themes, including key components of innate immunity such as neutrophil extracellular traps, dendritic cells, and Toll-like receptors, as well as adaptive immunity involving T cells, B cells, and plasmacytoid dendritic cells. These themes also included core mechanisms such as macrophage polarization, the NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome, and apoptotic cell clearance, along with clinical hotspots such as lupus nephritis, macrophage activation syndrome, and rheumatoid arthritis. The evolution of research hotspots reflects a progression from early basic mechanisms of apoptotic cell and immune complex clearance to refined regulation of cytokines, innate immunity, and adaptive immunity, and finally to studies of signaling pathway-targeted therapy, clinical management, and multicenter validation, with “pathway” and “multicenter diagnosis” standing out as current research frontiers.

Introduction

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by the production of autoantibodies, immune complex deposition, and multi-organ inflammation^1,2. Despite substantial advances in diagnostic approaches and therapeutic strategies over recent decades, SLE continues to cause severe damage to the kidneys, hematological system, and central nervous system^3,4,5. Existing treatments, including glucocorticoids, immunosuppressants, and biologic agents, generally have limited therapeutic efficacy an....

Protocol

No ethical approval or informed consent was required for this study, as all data were derived from publicly available bibliographic records in the Web of Science Core Collection database. No human participants, animals, or clinical samples were involved in this research.

Data acquisition and search strategy

Data were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC) database on a single date (April 27, 2026) to ensure data consistency and reproducibility. The search query employed Boolean operators with the following structure: TS=("Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic" OR "Systemic ....

Results

Annual publication output

Between 2016 and 2025, a total of 1,197 articles on macrophages in SLE were published. The annual publication volume fluctuated, starting at 112 in 2016, peaking at 154 in 2022, and then decreasing slightly to 133 in 2025. Over the same period, annual citation counts increased overall from 184 to 9,030, with minor fluctuations, indicating a progressive rise in academic impact in this field (Figure 2).

Discussion

This bibliometric study systematically delineates the research landscape of macrophages in SLE over the past decade (2016–2025). By analyzing 1,197 publications from the Web of Science Core Collection, we identified global publication trends, collaborative networks, core research forces, thematic evolution, and knowledge base dynamics, thereby providing an objective roadmap for future investigations in this rapidly evolving field.

Over the 10-year study period, annual publications on mac.......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
CiteSpace (version 6.4.R1)	Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA	N/A	Keyword timeline clustering and citation burst analysis; RRID: SCR_020932; URL: https://citespace.podia.com
GraphPad Prism (version 10.1)	Dotmatics, Boston, MA, USA	N/A	Figure preparation and data visualization; RRID: SCR_002798; URL: https://www.graphpad.com
Scimago Graphica (version 1.0.25)	Scimago Lab, Madrid, Spain	N/A	Country/region collaboration network visualization; RRID: not available; URL: https://www.graphica.app
VOSviewer (version 1.6.19)	Centre for Science and Technology Studies, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands	N/A	Coauthorship network construction and keyword co-occurrence mapping; RRID: SCR_016598; URL: https://www.vosviewer.com
Web of Science Core Collection	Clarivate Analytics, Philadelphia, PA, USA	N/A	Literature retrieval and data source; URL: https://clarivate.com/webofscience
WPS Excel (2023)	Kingsoft, Zhuhai, China	N/A	Basic statistical calculations and bar, line, and pie charts; RRID: not available; URL: https://www.wps.com