Objective: Hyperuricemia (HUA) is a metabolic disease caused by abnormal purine metabolism in the body. It also shows a trend of high incidence among younger people worldwide. More and more studies have shown that natural products can be used to treat HUA, and the literature in this field has been increasing in recent years. However, few bibliometric analyses have systematically examined this field. Our study aims to analyze the published literature to identify trends and hotspots in natural product therapy for HUA, present the research status and summarize critical topics.
Materials and methods: A literature search was conducted through the Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC) database, using Bibliometric R, VOS Viewer, and CiteSpace to examine the eligible publications. A total of 1,201 publications (1,040 articles and 161 reviews) concerning natural product therapy for HUA research between 2000 and 2021 were ultimately included.
Results: In recent years, research articles in this field have increased. China and the United States are the main driving forces in this field and have a high academic reputation. China published the most relevant articles, while the United States cited the most. Chinese Acad Sci is the institution with the most relevant research results. Flavonoids, xanthine oxidase, antioxidant activity, and gout are the current research hotspots and future research trend topics.
Conclusions: Our results provide a general overview of the leading research directions of natural products in HUA research. The mechanisms of natural products, especially those related to xanthine oxidase, antioxidant activity, and gout, may soon become hot spots and should be closely watched. The field of natural product therapy for HUA is going through rapid development, and our research provides a valuable reference for clinical researchers and practitioners.