Global Research Trends in EV-Based Cell-Free Therapy for Osteoarthritis: A Bibliometric Analysis

Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.

• Level A · Stronger Clinical Evidence
• Level B · Emerging clinical evidence with positive signals
• Level C · Early human research exploring benefits
• Level D · Scientific groundwork from lab and animal studies
• Emerging · Emerging topic under active research

Abstract (original English)

Background Osteoarthritis (OA) represents a major global health challenge with no ideal treatment options available. Early-stage treatment typically focuses on symptomatic relief of pain and stiffness; while late-stage patients can only opt for surgical interventions such as joint replacement to improve quality of life. Cell-free therapy based on extracellular vesicles (EVs) has offered a novel therapeutic approach for regulating bone metabolism and repairing cartilage, demonstrating emerging potential. Methods Publications related to OA and Cell-free therapy based on EVs were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection database from 1991 to 2024. Our study employed bibliometric methods to analyze publication trends, leading contributing countries, institutions, authors, journals, and emerging trends and research directions. Results The analysis has revealed a rapid growth in publications since 2019. China dominated both in terms of publication output and citation counts. The most productive institution is Shanghai Jiao Tong University. The most prolific publishing outlet journal was the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, while in terms of citation impact, Biomaterials ranked first. De Girolamo, Laura from Aix-Marseille Universite and Ragni, Enrico from IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Galeazzi shared the top position in publication output, while Noel, Daniele from the

Evidence level

Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.

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