Extracellular vesicles and Alzheimer’s disease: hotspots, trends, and future directions—a tri-database bibliometric analysis

Background Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder marked by progressive cognitive decline. The pathogenesis of AD is complex, and effective methods for early diagnosis and treatment are currently lacking. Extracellular vesicles, which are key mediators of intercellular communication, significantly influence the onset and progression of AD. Consequently, a systematic review of this field is essential. Methods This study utilized the WoSCC and Scopus databases to gather English “Articles” and “Reviews.” Following duplicate removal via Python, bibliometric methods systematically analyzed research hotspots and frontiers concerning extracellular vesicles in Alzheimer’s disease. The analysis encompassed publication trends, countries, institutions, authors, journals, keywords, and references. Concurrently, the PubMed database was searched to verify the robustness and consistency of the analysis results. Results This study conducted a bibliometric analysis of 2,626 articles, with 1,614 articles from PubMed used for consistency verification. The findings indicate a continuous rise in research interest in this field. Key areas of focus include emerging pathological mechanisms, peripheral blood biomarkers, targeted drug delivery, miRNA, and clinical trials. Cross-database verification confirmed a strong consistency in publication trends, countries, institutions, and authors, with a significant overlap of keywords and prominent research hot spots. Conclusion This study demonstrates a shift in the research focus on Extracellular vesicles within Alzheimer’s disease from single-pathology investigations to exploring multiple mechanisms. Their significance in precise diagnosis and targeted therapy is increasingly evident. However, clinical trials remain limited. Future efforts should prioritize enhancing clinical validation and standardizing isolation techniques.