Bibliometric analysis of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease mechanisms and pharmacological treatment: research hotspots and trends (2014—2024)

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Author: FENG Jiaxin ¹ YIN Jing ² LI Qiuping ² TAN Liuping ² TAO Xiaojing ² YANG Xiaomin ³  ZHANG Bei ⁴  ZHANG Hongping ²

Affiliation: 1. Graduate School of Guangxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanning 530200, China 2. Department of Pharmacy, Liuzhou Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine Liuzhou Key Laboratory for Preparation Development of Chinese Materia Medica (Zhuang and Yao) Liuzhou Engineering Research Center for Preparation Technology of Chinese Materia Medica (Zhuang and Yao), Liuzhou 545001, Guangxi Province, China 3. Administrative Office of Liuzhou Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Liuzhou 545001, Guangxi Province, China 4. Department of Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanning 530023, China

Keywords: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease Visualization analysis Mechanisms Bibliometrics Research hotspots and trends CiteSpace VOSviewer Knowledge graph

DOI: 10.12173/j.issn.2097-4922.202511040

Reference: FENG Jiaxin, YIN Jing, LI Qiuping, TAN Liuping, TAO Xiaojing, YANG Xiaomin, ZHANG Bei, ZHANG Hongping. Bibliometric analysis of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease mechanisms and pharmacological treatment: research hotspots and trends (2014—2024)[J]. Yaoxue QianYan Zazhi, 2026, 30(2): 284-293. DOI: 10.12173/j.issn.2097-4922.202511040.[Article in Chinese]  Copied

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Abstract

Objective Because non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) increasingly becoming a major global public health issue, so as to systematically summarize the bibliometric haracteristics and research hotspots in the field of NAFLD mechanism research, and to provide a reference for future studies.

Results An initial search yielded 6 032 relevant articles. After deduplication, 3 525 articles were ultimately included. The overall number of articles published annually increased. High-frequency keywords mainly included insulin resistance (IR), oxidative stress, inflammatory response, and hepatic steatosis. NAFLD mechanism research involves multiple disciplines and biological systems, with metabolic syndrome/IR, gut microbiota, and hepatic immune cells emerging as major research hotspots. China ranks among the leading countries worldwide in terms of research output in this field.

Conclusion Research on NAFLD mechanisms has formed a research pattern centered on metabolic dysregulation and immune regulation. Research is increasingly focusing on immune regulation and multi-organ interaction mechanisms.

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