Preprint / Version 1

Plant natural compounds in the cancer treatment: A systematic bibliometric analysis

Authors

  • Mengting Wang aNingbo Key Laboratory of Agricultural Germplasm Resources Mining and Environmental Regulation, College of Science and Technology, Ningbo University, Cixi, China
  • Yinshuai Li bSchool of Design, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
  • Tiejun Pan aNingbo Key Laboratory of Agricultural Germplasm Resources Mining and Environmental Regulation, College of Science and Technology, Ningbo University, Cixi, China
  • Nan Jia cCenter for Systems Integration and Sustainability, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Environmental Science and Policy Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA

Keywords:

Bibliometric analysis, Medicinal plants, Natural compounds, Anticancer, KNIME

Abstract

Plant-derived natural compounds are significant resources for the discovery of potential anticancer drugs. While research in the plant-based anticancer field has surged in recent years, systematic bibliometric analyses covering a longer period and containing up-to-date publications remain scarce. Here, we conducted a bibliometric analysis of literature on the anticancer properties of plant natural compounds over the past three decades, leveraging the bibliometric framework and open-access platform, KNIME. Our findings showed that the number of plant anticancer-related publications underwent an accelerating growth from 1992 to 2023. The country and institution analyses revealed that countries with traditional medical systems contributed a large portion of publications in the plant anticancer field, such as India, China, and South Korea. This study also highlighted the top ten eminent researchers and publications, assisting researchers in identifying pivotal literature. The primary publications were domains of chemistry and biology-related fields, such as Pharmacology & Pharmacy, Plant Sciences, and Biochemistry & Molecular Biology. Additionally, we noted that flavonoids have been focal plant compounds in anticancer, with strong anticancer potential. Our study provides new insights into the progress and trends in the plant anticancer field and will assist researchers in grasping the future research direction. Keywords: Bibliometric analysis, Medicinal plants, Natural compounds, Anticancer, KNIME