Objective  To examine the research hotpots and future trends within the realms of anti-infective drug-induced nephrotoxicity on a global scale over the previous decade.

Methods  Based on bibliometric methods, the literature related to anti-infective drug-induced nephrotoxicity from January 1, 2014 to October 1, 2024 was screened using the Web of Science (WOS) core collection database. The VOSviewer software was employed to statistically analyze the number of publications  and citation frequency among countries, authors, institutions, and journals referenced in the literature. Additionally, the CiteSpace software was utilized to generate a keyword co-occurrence network map and conduct cluster analysis of keywords.

Results  A total of 4 069 relevant articles were retrieved in the present study, of which the United States was the country with the largest number of publications (1,113 articles) and Professor Li Jian's team was the leader in this particular area with 51 articles. Monash University and the Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy were identified as the most prominent institution and journal in this field, respectively. Keyword analysis revealed a predominant focus on the mechanisms underlying acute kidney injury (AKI) induced by four anti-infective drugs vancomycin, aminoglycosides, polymyxins and β-lactams in the field of study.

Conclusion  In the past 10 years, there has been a steady rise in the citation frequency of research on AKI related to anti-infective drugs. Current studies have identified molecular signaling pathways, particularly those involving oxidative stress and apoptosis, as prominent areas of investigation. Future research is likely to focus on elucidating the molecular mechanisms of ferroptosis and necrosis, as well as identifying biomarkers for early detection of nephrotoxicity.

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