Published online Sep 28, 2023. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v29.i36.5254
Peer-review started: July 20, 2023
First decision: August 5, 2023
Revised: August 11, 2023
Accepted: September 8, 2023
Article in press: September 8, 2023
Published online: September 28, 2023
Processing time: 61 Days and 22.2 Hours
Barrier surfaces composed of specialized epithelial cells separate the host body from the external environment, and are essential for maintaining proper intestinal physiologic and immune homeostasis.
To explore the development trends and research hotspots of intestinal barrier research in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
The publications related to the intestinal barrier in IBD were obtained from the Web of Science Core Collection database. Bibliometric analysis and visualization were conducted using VOSviewer, CiteSpace and R software.
A total of 4482 articles published between 2002 and 2022 were identified. The United States is dominant in intestinal barrier research, whereas the University of Chicago is the most active institution. Jerrold from Harvard Medical School was the most productive authors with the most citations. The journals Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Gastroenterology have made significant contributions in this field. The keywords appearing at high frequency related to the intestinal barrier in IBD were detected, including nuclear factor kappa B, tumor necrosis factor-α, apoptosis, oxidative stress and probiotics. Among them, antioxidants, Akkermansia muciniphila, nanoparticles, short-chain fatty acids and extracellular vesicles have received growing interest in recent research.
The intestinal barrier field is developing rapidly with extensive cooperation. Targeting the gut microbiota and dietary metabolism to regulate the intestinal barrier has shown promising prospective applications and has generated broad interest. The importance of the intestinal barrier in IBD is gradually being fully recognized, providing a new therapeutic perspective for improving inflammation and prognosis.
Core Tip: The complete composition and function of the intestinal mucosal barrier are essential for maintaining proper intestinal physiological and immune homeostasis. The study evaluated the developmental trends and research hotspots of intestinal barrier research in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) using bibliometric methods. The results showed that Intestinal barrier field is developing rapidly with extensive cooperation. Targeting the gut microbiota and dietary metabolism to regulate intestinal barrier shown promising prospective applications. This may provide guidance and new insights for further research into improving IBD by modulating the intestinal barrier.