Bibliometric analysis of nanotechnology research in acute kidney injury and emerging trends

This study aimed to systematically characterize the global research landscape, knowledge structure, and thematic evolution of nanotechnology research in acute kidney injury (AKI) using bibliometric and visualization approaches. Publications were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection for the period up to December 31, 2025. After eligibility and relevance screening, 705 publications were included. CiteSpace, VOSviewer, Bibliometrix, and GraphPad Prism were used to analyze publication trends, contributions of countries, institutions, authors, and journals, collaboration and co-citation networks, highly cited references, and keyword patterns. Publication output increased substantially over the study period, particularly in recent years. China contributed the largest number of publications, followed by the United States, while institutional output was concentrated predominantly in China. Collaboration networks demonstrated extensive but uneven connections across countries and institutions. Journal of Controlled Release was the most productive journal, whereas Kidney International was the most highly co-cited journal. The most frequent keywords were “acute kidney injury,” “nanoparticles,” and “oxidative stress.” Temporal analyses showed a gradual evolution from broad experimental and imaging-related applications toward greater emphasis on oxidative stress, reactive oxygen species, therapeutic delivery, and mechanism-oriented nanotechnology. Ferroptosis also appeared among the more recent trend topics. Nanotechnology research in AKI has expanded into an increasingly interdisciplinary field integrating nephrology, materials science, nanomedicine, and drug-delivery research. Current themes emphasize oxidative injury, targeted delivery, and increasingly mechanism-oriented nanoplatforms. Future research should prioritize rigorous evaluation of targeting performance, pharmacokinetics, biosafety, reproducibility, and translational feasibility to determine the clinical value of emerging nanotechnology strategies for AKI.