Myocardial fibrosis and glycolysis: a bibliometric study and visualization analysis (2000–2024)

Abstract Background Myocardial fibrosis represents a terminal pathological outcome in numerous cardiovascular diseases and is mechanistically linked to glycolytic dysregulation. However, systematic reviews integrating multidimensional evidence remain scarce. Objective This study aims to conduct a visual analysis of myocardial fibrosis and glycolysis research using CiteSpace and VOSviewer, quantifying research trends and key contributors. Methods Literature on “myocardial fibrosis” and “glycolysis” published between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2024, was retrieved from the Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus databases. After deduplication, 408 articles were included for analysis. CiteSpace and VOSviewer were employed to analyze data regarding countries, institutions, authors, and keywords. Results A total of 408 studies were included. Annual publications on myocardial fibrosis and glycolysis exhibited a fluctuating upward trend, increasing from 1 (2000) to 51 (2024). These publications were divided into three phases: Initial Exploration (2000–2003, 1 article per year), Slow Fluctuation (2004–2009, 3–5 articles per year), and Rapid Development (2010–2024). During the Rapid Development phase, publications surged from 25 in 2019 to 44 in 2020, peaked in 2021–2022 (45 and 48 articles, respectively), and rebounded to 51 in 2024. Key contributors: The U.S. (177 studies, 32% of global output) and China (115 studies, 20%) were the leading contributors, collectively accounting for 52% of total publications; top institutions were Univ. of Alberta (15 Myocardial fibrosis representstudies) and Univ. of Utah (14 studies); core authors included Archer, S.L. (10 studies) and Chen, J.-X. (8 studies), with Lopaschuk, G.D. topping co-citations (117). High-frequency keywords: “heart failure” (107), “expression” (81), “metabolism” (60), “glycolysis” (44); high-centrality ones: “cardiac hypertrophy” (0.25), “fatty acid oxidation” (0.21). Emerging frontiers: “extracellular matrix” (burst intensity = 3.01, 2021–2024), “pulmonary hypertension” (3.61, 2022–2024). Clustering analysis identified 10 clusters (Silhouette Value = 0.7628, Modularity Q = 0.5292), including #0 pulmonary arterial hypertension (2014) and #10 mitochondrial dysfunction (2019). Conclusion Our bibliometric analysis reveals three pivotal trends: (1) The U.S. (32%) and China (20%) lead international collaborative networks; (2) Glycolytic reprogramming, oxidative stress, and metabolic interventions are prevalent research focuses; (3) Mitochondrial dysfunction and extracellular matrix remodeling are emerging frontiers. These findings clarify the glycolysis-fibrosis axis and provide a framework for targeted anti-fibrotic therapies.