Research trends of nanotechnology in coronary heart disease: a bibliometric analysis from 2012 to 2025

Background Coronary heart disease (CHD) remains a leading cause of mortality worldwide, with conventional therapeutic strategies limited by non-specific targeting, low bioavailability, and systemic off-target effects. Nanomaterials, leveraging their unique physicochemical properties, have shown immense potential in CHD diagnosis and therapy. However, the global research landscape, knowledge structure, and thematic evolution of nanomaterials in CHD have not been systematically evaluated. Methods Relevant publications from 2012 to 2025 were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection and Scopus databases. Bibliometric and visualization analyses were performed using CiteSpace, VOSviewer, and Scimago Graphica. The study evaluated publication trends, international and institutional collaboration networks, co-occurrence patterns, citation characteristics, and emerging research themes through keyword clustering and burst detection. Results A total of 2,709 publications were included, demonstrating a continuous increase in research activity during the study period. China and the United States were the leading contributors in publication output and international collaboration. Major institutional contributors included Harvard University, Massachusetts General Hospital, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Keyword co-occurrence and burst analyses identified several major research directions, including nanobiosensing, molecular imaging, targeted nanoparticle delivery, and regenerative medicine. Among these evolving themes, immune-inflammatory mechanisms, macrophage/monocyte regulation, oxidative stress, and microenvironmental modulation have emerged as increasingly prominent research directions in nanotechnology-based CHD investigation. Conclusion This bibliometric analysis provides an overview of the global development and knowledge evolution of nanotechnology research in CHD from 2012 to 2025. The findings indicate that immune-inflammatory mechanisms represent an emerging research theme within the broader landscape of cardiovascular nanotechnology. The growing attention toward immune modulation and disease-specific microenvironment regulation identified in this study may represent important directions for future translational research in cardiovascular nanotechnology.