A comprehensive review of biomarker research in diabetic nephropathy from a global bibliometric and visualization perspective

Background: Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a common complication of diabetes, which is prone to develop into end-stage renal disease, and early diagnosis and treatment is the key to effective management of DN. Biomarkers have important clinical significance in the diagnosis and treatment of DN and have attracted extensive attention from researchers in recent years. The aim of this study was to visualize the field of biomarker research in DN through bibliometric analysis, to summarize the current status and predict future trends of this field, with a view to providing valuable insights for scholars and policy makers. Methods: Literature search and data collection from Web of Science Core Collection. Calculations and visualizations were performed using Microsoft Excel, VOSviewer, Bibliometrix R-package, and CiteSpace. Results: We identified 1274 publications about biomarker research in DN from 1995 to November 01, 2023, with a steady increase in annual publications. China, Steno Diabetes Center in Denmark, and Frontiers in Endocrinology were the most productive country, institution, and journal, respectively; Mischak, Harald was both the most productive and highly cited author, and Kidney International was the most cited journal. The high frequency keywords were “albuminuria,” “chronic kidney disease” and “expression.” In addition, “macrophage,” “fibrosis” and “omics” are potentially promising topics. Conclusion: Our study comprehensively and visually summarized the important findings of global biomarker research in DN and revealed the structure, hotspots, and evolutionary trends in this field. It would inspire subsequent studies from a macroscopic perspective and provide a basis for rational allocation of resources and identification of collaborations among researchers.