Trends in perivascular macrophages research from 1997 to 2021: A bibliometric analysis

INTRODUCTION: Perivascular macrophages (PVMs) play pivotal roles in maintaining the physiological function of the brain. Dysfunction of PVMs is emerging as an important mechanism in various disease conditions in the brain. METHODS: In this work, we analyzed recent research advances in PVMs, especially in the brain, from the Web of Science (WoS) core database using bibliometric analysis based on the search terms “perivascular macrophages” and “perivascular macrophage” on October 27, 2021. Visualization and collaboration analysis were performed by Citespace (5.8 R3 mac). RESULTS: We found 2384 articles published between 1997 and 2021 in the field of PVMs, which were selected for analysis. PVMs were involved in several physio‐pathological fields, in which Neurosciences and Neurology, Neuroscience, Immunology, Pathology, and Cardiovascular System and Cardiology were most reported. The research focuses on PVMs mainly in the central nervous system (CNS), inflammation, macrophage or T‐cell, and disease, and highlights the related basic research regarding its activation, oxidative stress, angiotensin II, and insulin resistance. Tumor‐associated macrophage, obesity, myeloid cell, and inflammation were relatively recent highlight keywords that attracted increasing attention in recent years. Harvard Univ, Vrije Univ Amsterdam, occupied important positions in the research field of PVMs. Meanwhile, PVM research in China (Peking Univ, Sun Yat Sen Univ, Shanghai Jiao Tong Univ, and Shandong Univ) is on the rise. Cluster co‐citation analysis revealed that the mechanisms of CNS PVMs and related brain diseases are major specialties associated with PVMs, while PVMs in perivascular adipose tissue and vascular diseases or obesity are another big category of PVMs hotspots. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the research on PVMs continues to deepen, and the hotspots are constantly changing. Future studies of PVMs could have multiple disciplines intersecting.