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ORIGINAL RESEARCH
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Global trends on exosomes in spinal cord injury: a bibliometric analysis and mini-review

Jinxiang Shang1# ,  Hangyang Xu2# ,  Lu Xie3 ,  He Lv4 ,  Fei Wang5 ,  Cong Jin5 ,  Wenqing Liang6 ,  Songou Zhang7*
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1 Department of Orthopedics, Affiliated Hospital of Shaoxing University, Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province, China
2 Department of Orthopedics, Zhuji People’s Hospital of Zhejiang Province, Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province, China
3 Department of Orthopedics, Shaoxing Sports School, Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province, China
4 Graduate School of Guangxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China
5 Department of Orthopedics, Shaoxing People’s Hospital, Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province, China
6 Department of Orthopedics, Zhoushan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhoushan, Zhejiang Province, China
7 Department of Orthopedics, Ningbo University School of Medicine, Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, China
BMT 2025 , 6(2), 151–164; https://doi.org/10.12336/bmt.24.00004
Submitted: 24 January 2024 | Revised: 4 March 2024 | Accepted: 30 May 2024 | Published: 20 June 2025
Copyright © 2025 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial–ShareAlike 4.0 License.
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Abstract

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is recognised as a debilitating condition that often leads to considerable disability and functional limitations. Exosomes, which can be derived from various cell types including bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, adipose-derived stem cells, dental pulp stem cells, and macrophages, play a pivotal role in the post- SCI landscape. Collectively, it has been observed that these exosomes can modulate the immune response following SCI, regulate the inflammatory environment, inhibit secondary tissue damage, and support neuronal survival and axonal regrowth. However, it is noted that exosomes from different sources exhibit distinct characteristics. Therefore, it is deemed essential to gain a comprehensive understanding of the current knowledge and research directions regarding exosomes in SCI to foster the development of effective therapeutic interventions. In this bibliometric analysis, we conducted to search retrieve pertinent articles from the Web of Science Core Collection and identify pivotal publications, authors, institutions, countries, and keywords that have contributed significantly to the field. This bibliometric analysis offers a thorough examination of the present knowledge landscape and prevailing research trends pertaining to exosomes in the context of SCI. It acts as a valuable asset, catering not only to researchers but also to clinicians and policymakers engaged in research on SCI and therapeutic advancement. Ultimately, this knowledge mapping can advance our understanding of exosome biology and pave the way for innovative interventions to improve outcomes for individuals affected by SCI. 

Keywords
Bibliometric analysis
Dental pulp stem cells
Exosomes
Extracellular vesicle
Spinal cord injury
Funding
This study was supported by Zhejiang Provincial Department of Health Project (Nos. 2022KY1313 and 2022KY1288), Zhejiang Provincial Department of Science and Technology Project (Nos. Y202351225 and Y202145976), Shaoxing Science and Technology Plan Project (No. 2020A13011), and Shaoxing University Undergraduate Research Program (No. 2022LG014).
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Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no corporate or financial affiliations that could be interpreted as a potential conflict of interest.
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