What is the clinical evidence from this study?

Study design: Other. Population: pain research (n=635). Intervention: TRV130 (oliceridine). Primary outcome: Efficacy and safety of TRV130 (oliceridine) in postoperative pain management.

What type of study is this?

This is a Bibliometric Analysis study.

What question did this study set out to answer?

This analysis explores the evolution and focus areas of β-arrestin research in pain management from 1997 to 2025.

January 10, 2026Naunyn-Schmiedeberg s Archives of Pharmacology0 citationsOpen Access

Knowledge graph and emerging trends in β-arrestin research on pain: a bibliometric analysis (1997–2025)

HYHaifang YuQingdao University XDXuehai Ding YZYiqiang ZhangQingdao University

Key Result

Research on β-arrestin in pain demonstrates increasing interest, with TRV130 emerging as a significant drug with clinical promise.

Key Points

This analysis explores the evolution and focus areas of β-arrestin research in pain management from 1997 to 2025.
Analyzed publications from Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed covering 1997-2025
Applied bibliometric methods for screening, citation analysis, and keyword clustering
Evaluated publication trends, author networks, and institutional contributions
Significant increase in publications from 1997 to 2025
USA identified as the leading country in publication volume and influence
Key research themes include pharmacological mechanisms, biased ligands, and clinical applications

Structured PICO

Population

635 articles pertaining to 'β-arrestin', 'opioid receptors', and 'pain' published between January 1, 1997 and November 22, 2025, retrieved from Web of Science Core Collection, Scopus, and PubMed.

Intervention

Bibliometric analysis using CiteSpace and VOSviewer

Outcome

Publication trends, core authors and collaborative networks, institutional and national contributions, journal co-citation patterns, co-citation networks of highly influential literature, and keyword clustering with burst detection trends

This bibliometric analysis maps the 1997-2025 landscape of β-arrestin research in pain, highlighting the evolution from basic mechanisms to the development of G protein-biased ligands like oliceridine.

Limitations

Lack of precise understanding of β-arrestin2 signaling pathways across different pain types.
Imprecise quantification of 'functional selectivity' hinders drug screening.
Controversies about the relationship between β-arrestin recruitment intensity and adverse effects.

Abstract

This study aimed to systematically analyze the characteristics of research output, core research foci, and evolutionary trends concerning β-arrestin in the field of pain research from 1997 to 2025 using bibliometric methods. The goal was to clarify the developmental trajectory and identify priority research areas within this domain. This study retrieved literature pertaining to "β-arrestin," "opioid receptors," and "pain" from the Web of Science Core Collection database, Scopus, and PubMed, covering the period from January 1, 1997 to November 22, 2025. Following rigorous screening based on predefined inclusion/exclusion criteria, the eligible publications were systematically analyzed regarding publication trends, core authors and collaborative networks, institutional and national contributions, journal co-citation patterns, co-citation networks of highly influential literature, and keyword clustering with burst detection trends. The final analysis comprised 635 articles. Analysis revealed a steady increase in the number of publications over the period 1997-2025. The USA emerged as the most productive country and also demonstrated the highest scientific influence. The top four institutions by publication volume were University of California System, Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation the "functional selectivity" of biased ligands is difficult to quantify precisely; and the association between the intensity of β-arrestin recruitment and adverse effects remains controversial. Future breakthroughs necessitate interdisciplinary collaboration to fully unlock the therapeutic potential of β-arrestin in pain management.

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