Bibliometric analysis of ferroptosis research in neurodegenerative disease_West China Medical Journal

Authors：

GAO Xuetian , SHI Xuanying , LI Dongxin , GUO Youquan ,  WANG Fang

School of Public Health, Shanxi Medical University, Jinzhong, Shanxi 030600, P. R. China;

Corresponding?author：

WANG Fang, Email: wfang@sxmu.edu.cn

Keywords：

Ferroptosis; neurodegenerative disease; bibliometric analysis

DOI：

10.7507/1002-0179.202511214

Video：

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Objective To summarize and analyze the research trends and hotspots on ferroptosis in neurodegenerative disease (ND) both domestically and internationally over the past decade, with the aim of gaining a comprehensive understanding of the global research progress and trends in this field. Methods The literature related to iron death in ND was searched in Web of Science and China National Knowledge Infrastructure from January 1, 2014 to April 14, 2025. Excel 2019 and CiteSpace 6.4 R1 software were used to analyze data on countries, institutions, authors, citations, and keywords included in the study. Results A total of 1002 articles were included. The annual publication volume showed a continuous growth trend, reaching its peak in 2024. China ranked first with 494 published articles. The core research forces in this field mainly came from universities, research institutes, and hospitals in China, the United States, and Australia. The current research mainly focused on revealing the regulatory network of ferroptosis in specific diseases, identifying relevant biomarkers, and evaluating the potential for targeted therapy. Conclusions The existing literature mainly focuses on mechanism research and therapeutic application. In the future, in-depth research is required on the development of targeted ferroptosis therapeutic drugs and the precise elucidation of molecular pathways governing ferroptosis in ND, so as to advance theoretical breakthroughs and clinical translation of ferroptosis research related to ND.

Citation： GAO Xuetian, SHI Xuanying, LI Dongxin, GUO Youquan, WANG Fang. Bibliometric analysis of ferroptosis research in neurodegenerative disease. West China Medical Journal, 2026, 41(6): 971-976. doi: 10.7507/1002-0179.202511214 Copy

1.	Guo S, Wang H, Yin Y. Microglia polarization from M1 to M2 in neurodegenerative diseases. Front Aging Neurosci, 2022, 14: 815347.
2.	Liu J, Duan W, Deng Y, et al. New insights into molecular mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative disorders. J Integr Neurosci, 2023, 22(3): 58.
3.	Villa-Cedillo SA, Acosta-Espinoza EJ, Soto-Domínguez A, et al. Antioxidant PRDX3 gene therapy protects brain cells and prevents neurodegeneration in an animal model of Parkinson’s disease. Neuropeptides, 2025, 110: 102494.
4.	Dixon SJ, Lemberg KM, Lamprecht MR, et al. Ferroptosis: an iron-dependent form of nonapoptotic cell death. Cell, 2012, 149(5): 1060-1072.
5.	Stockwell BR, Friedmann Angeli JP, Bayir H, et al. Ferroptosis: a regulated cell death nexus linking metabolism, redox biology, and disease. Cell, 2017, 171(2): 273-285.
6.	Zheng X, Zhang C. The regulation of ferroptosis by noncoding RNAs. Int J Mol Sci, 2023, 24(17): 13336.
7.	Wang Y, Li H, He Q, et al. Ferroptosis: underlying mechanisms and involvement in neurodegenerative diseases. Apoptosis, 2024, 29(1/2): 3-21.
8.	Xie C, Wu N, Guo J, et al. The key role of the ferroptosis mechanism in neurological diseases and prospects for targeted therapy. Front Neurosci, 2025, 19: 1591417.
9.	王燦雨, 劉曉龍, 孫玉, 等. 鐵死亡及其在神經退行性疾病中的研究進展. 安徽醫科大學學報, 2023, 58(10): 1801-1806.
10.	孟煒寒, 杜悅, 朱樂, 等. 線粒體調控在阿爾茨海默病鐵死亡中的作用研究進展. 華中科技大學學報(醫學版), 2023, 52(6): 878-884.
11.	Tu LF, Zhang TZ, Zhou YF, et al. GPX4 deficiency-dependent phospholipid peroxidation drives motor deficits of ALS. J Adv Res, 2023, 43: 205-218.
12.	Zhang T, Zhang Y, Xie J, et al. Ferroptosis in neurodegenerative diseases: mechanisms and therapeutic potential of stem cell derivatives. Front Cell Dev Biol, 2025, 13: 1577382.
13.	趙蓉英, 許麗敏. 文獻計量學發展演進與研究前沿的知識圖譜探析. 中國圖書館學報, 2010(5): 60-68.
14.	吳東霖. 腦缺血再灌注損傷的中醫藥治療文獻計量分析及運用溫陽復元方治療的網絡藥理學研究. 南寧: 廣西中醫藥大學, 2024.
15.	陳悅, 陳超美, 劉則淵, 等. CiteSpace 知識圖譜的方法論功能. 科學學研究, 2015, 33(2): 242-253.
16.	Bao WD, Pang P, Zhou XT, et al. Loss of ferroportin induces memory impairment by promoting ferroptosis in Alzheimer’s disease. Cell Death Differ, 2021, 28(5): 1548-1562.
17.	Zhang W, Liu Y, Liao Y, et al. GPX4, ferroptosis, and diseases. Biomed Pharmacother, 2024, 174: 116512.
18.	Yong Y, Yan L, Wei J, et al. A novel ferroptosis inhibitor, thonningianin A, improves Alzheimer’s disease by activating GPX4. Theranostics, 2024, 14(16): 6161-6184.
19.	Castillo-Vazquez SK, Massieu L, Rincón-Heredia R, et al. Glutamatergic neurotransmission in aging and neurodegenerative diseases: a potential target to improve cognitive impairment in aging. Arch Med Res, 2024, 55(6): 103039.
20.	Yu Y, Li X, Wu X, et al. Sodium hydrosulfide inhibits hemin-induced ferroptosis and lipid peroxidation in BV2 cells via the CBS/H2S system. Cell Signal, 2023, 104: 110594.
21.	Zhou L, Wang Q. Advances of H2S in regulating neurodegenerative diseases by preserving mitochondria function. Antioxidants (Basel), 2023, 12(3): 652.
22.	Shefa U, Kim MS, Jeong NY, et al. Antioxidant and cell-signaling functions of hydrogen sulfide in the central nervous system. Oxid Med Cell Longev, 2018, 2018: 1873962.
23.	蔡文慧, 馬凌云, 霍麗蓉. GPX4 相關的中樞神經系統疾病及其治療進展. 中國醫藥科學, 2023, 13(24): 26-29, 86.
24.	Jiang X, Stockwell BR, Conrad M. Ferroptosis: mechanisms, biology and role in disease. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol, 2021, 22(4): 266-282.
25.	Liu Y, Feng D, Shui L, et al. The research landscape of ferroptosis in neurodegenerative disease: a bibliometric analysis. Front Aging Neurosci, 2024, 16: 1417989.
26.	Li J, Cao F, Yin HL, et al. Ferroptosis: past, present and future. Cell Death Dis, 2020, 11(2): 88.
27.	Wang Y, Tang B, Zhu J, et al. Emerging mechanisms and targeted therapy of ferroptosis in neurological diseases and neuro-oncology. Int J Biol Sci, 2022, 18(10): 4260-4274.
28.	Lan T, Sun TT, Wei C, et al. Epigenetic regulation of ferroptosis in central nervous system diseases. Mol Neurobiol, 2023, 60(7): 3584-3599.
29.	Lee S, Hwang N, Seok BG, et al. Autophagy mediates an amplification loop during ferroptosis. Cell Death Dis, 2023, 14(7): 464.
30.	Reichert CO, de Freitas FA, Sampaio-Silva J, et al. Ferroptosis mechanisms involved in neurodegenerative diseases. Int J Mol Sci, 2020, 21(22): 8765.
31.	趙炎, 賀小平, 張燁華, 等. 鐵死亡 FSP1/CoQ10 信號軸在阿爾茨海默病中作用機制的研究進展. 中國病理生理雜志, 2024, 40(9): 1758-1763.
32.	Naderi S, Khodagholi F, Janahmadi M, et al. Ferroptosis and cognitive impairment: unraveling the link and potential therapeutic targets. Neuropharmacology, 2025, 263: 110210.
33.	Li Y, Sun M, Cao F, et al. The ferroptosis inhibitor liproxstatin-1 ameliorates LPS-induced cognitive impairment in mice. Nutrients, 2022, 14(21): 4599.
34.	Scarpellini C, Klejborowska G, Lanthier C, et al. Oxazole-based ferroptosis inhibitors with promising properties to treat central nervous system diseases. J Med Chem, 2025, 68(4): 4908-4928.
35.	王友年, 劉強勝, 孟坤, 等. 鐵死亡在阿爾茨海默病中的分子機制及靶向治療突破: 從基礎到臨床轉化. 醫學新知, 2025, 35(6): 697-707.
36.	Zhang JB, Jia X, Cao Q, et al. Ferroptosis-regulated cell death as a therapeutic strategy for neurodegenerative diseases: current status and future prospects. ACS Chem Neurosci, 2023, 14(17): 2995-3012.
37.	Liu N, Yu W, Sun M, et al. Research trends and hotspots of ferroptosis in neurodegenerative diseases from 2013 to 2023: a bibliometrics study. Heliyon, 2024, 10(8): e29418.
38.	Li Z, Zhang Y, Ji M, et al. Targeting ferroptosis in neuroimmune and neurodegenerative disorders for the development of novel therapeutics. Biomed Pharmacother, 2024, 176: 116777.
39.	Han Q, Sun L, Xiang K. Research progress of ferroptosis in Alzheimer disease: a review. Medicine (Baltimore), 2023, 102(36): e35142.
40.	Zhang H, Deng T, Liu R, et al. CAF secreted miR-522 suppresses ferroptosis and promotes acquired chemo-resistance in gastric cancer. Mol Cancer, 2020, 19(1): 43.
41.	Hu W, Liang K, Zhu H, et al. Ferroptosis and its role in chronic diseases. Cells, 2022, 11(13): 2040.
42.	Deng PX, Silva M, Yang N, et al. Artemisinin inhibits neuronal ferroptosis in Alzheimer’s disease models by targeting KEAP1. Acta Pharmacol Sin, 2025, 46(2): 326-337.
43.	Belaidi AA, Masaldan S, Southon A, et al. Apolipoprotein E potently inhibits ferroptosis by blocking ferritinophagy. Mol Psychiatry, 2024, 29(2): 211-220.

1. Guo S, Wang H, Yin Y. Microglia polarization from M1 to M2 in neurodegenerative diseases. Front Aging Neurosci, 2022, 14: 815347.
2. Liu J, Duan W, Deng Y, et al. New insights into molecular mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative disorders. J Integr Neurosci, 2023, 22(3): 58.
3. Villa-Cedillo SA, Acosta-Espinoza EJ, Soto-Domínguez A, et al. Antioxidant PRDX3 gene therapy protects brain cells and prevents neurodegeneration in an animal model of Parkinson’s disease. Neuropeptides, 2025, 110: 102494.
4. Dixon SJ, Lemberg KM, Lamprecht MR, et al. Ferroptosis: an iron-dependent form of nonapoptotic cell death. Cell, 2012, 149(5): 1060-1072.
5. Stockwell BR, Friedmann Angeli JP, Bayir H, et al. Ferroptosis: a regulated cell death nexus linking metabolism, redox biology, and disease. Cell, 2017, 171(2): 273-285.
6. Zheng X, Zhang C. The regulation of ferroptosis by noncoding RNAs. Int J Mol Sci, 2023, 24(17): 13336.
7. Wang Y, Li H, He Q, et al. Ferroptosis: underlying mechanisms and involvement in neurodegenerative diseases. Apoptosis, 2024, 29(1/2): 3-21.
8. Xie C, Wu N, Guo J, et al. The key role of the ferroptosis mechanism in neurological diseases and prospects for targeted therapy. Front Neurosci, 2025, 19: 1591417.
9. 王燦雨, 劉曉龍, 孫玉, 等. 鐵死亡及其在神經退行性疾病中的研究進展. 安徽醫科大學學報, 2023, 58(10): 1801-1806.
10. 孟煒寒, 杜悅, 朱樂, 等. 線粒體調控在阿爾茨海默病鐵死亡中的作用研究進展. 華中科技大學學報(醫學版), 2023, 52(6): 878-884.
11. Tu LF, Zhang TZ, Zhou YF, et al. GPX4 deficiency-dependent phospholipid peroxidation drives motor deficits of ALS. J Adv Res, 2023, 43: 205-218.
12. Zhang T, Zhang Y, Xie J, et al. Ferroptosis in neurodegenerative diseases: mechanisms and therapeutic potential of stem cell derivatives. Front Cell Dev Biol, 2025, 13: 1577382.
13. 趙蓉英, 許麗敏. 文獻計量學發展演進與研究前沿的知識圖譜探析. 中國圖書館學報, 2010(5): 60-68.
14. 吳東霖. 腦缺血再灌注損傷的中醫藥治療文獻計量分析及運用溫陽復元方治療的網絡藥理學研究. 南寧: 廣西中醫藥大學, 2024.
15. 陳悅, 陳超美, 劉則淵, 等. CiteSpace 知識圖譜的方法論功能. 科學學研究, 2015, 33(2): 242-253.
16. Bao WD, Pang P, Zhou XT, et al. Loss of ferroportin induces memory impairment by promoting ferroptosis in Alzheimer’s disease. Cell Death Differ, 2021, 28(5): 1548-1562.
17. Zhang W, Liu Y, Liao Y, et al. GPX4, ferroptosis, and diseases. Biomed Pharmacother, 2024, 174: 116512.
18. Yong Y, Yan L, Wei J, et al. A novel ferroptosis inhibitor, thonningianin A, improves Alzheimer’s disease by activating GPX4. Theranostics, 2024, 14(16): 6161-6184.
19. Castillo-Vazquez SK, Massieu L, Rincón-Heredia R, et al. Glutamatergic neurotransmission in aging and neurodegenerative diseases: a potential target to improve cognitive impairment in aging. Arch Med Res, 2024, 55(6): 103039.
20. Yu Y, Li X, Wu X, et al. Sodium hydrosulfide inhibits hemin-induced ferroptosis and lipid peroxidation in BV2 cells via the CBS/H2S system. Cell Signal, 2023, 104: 110594.
21. Zhou L, Wang Q. Advances of H2S in regulating neurodegenerative diseases by preserving mitochondria function. Antioxidants (Basel), 2023, 12(3): 652.
22. Shefa U, Kim MS, Jeong NY, et al. Antioxidant and cell-signaling functions of hydrogen sulfide in the central nervous system. Oxid Med Cell Longev, 2018, 2018: 1873962.
23. 蔡文慧, 馬凌云, 霍麗蓉. GPX4 相關的中樞神經系統疾病及其治療進展. 中國醫藥科學, 2023, 13(24): 26-29, 86.
24. Jiang X, Stockwell BR, Conrad M. Ferroptosis: mechanisms, biology and role in disease. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol, 2021, 22(4): 266-282.
25. Liu Y, Feng D, Shui L, et al. The research landscape of ferroptosis in neurodegenerative disease: a bibliometric analysis. Front Aging Neurosci, 2024, 16: 1417989.
26. Li J, Cao F, Yin HL, et al. Ferroptosis: past, present and future. Cell Death Dis, 2020, 11(2): 88.
27. Wang Y, Tang B, Zhu J, et al. Emerging mechanisms and targeted therapy of ferroptosis in neurological diseases and neuro-oncology. Int J Biol Sci, 2022, 18(10): 4260-4274.
28. Lan T, Sun TT, Wei C, et al. Epigenetic regulation of ferroptosis in central nervous system diseases. Mol Neurobiol, 2023, 60(7): 3584-3599.
29. Lee S, Hwang N, Seok BG, et al. Autophagy mediates an amplification loop during ferroptosis. Cell Death Dis, 2023, 14(7): 464.
30. Reichert CO, de Freitas FA, Sampaio-Silva J, et al. Ferroptosis mechanisms involved in neurodegenerative diseases. Int J Mol Sci, 2020, 21(22): 8765.
31. 趙炎, 賀小平, 張燁華, 等. 鐵死亡 FSP1/CoQ10 信號軸在阿爾茨海默病中作用機制的研究進展. 中國病理生理雜志, 2024, 40(9): 1758-1763.
32. Naderi S, Khodagholi F, Janahmadi M, et al. Ferroptosis and cognitive impairment: unraveling the link and potential therapeutic targets. Neuropharmacology, 2025, 263: 110210.
33. Li Y, Sun M, Cao F, et al. The ferroptosis inhibitor liproxstatin-1 ameliorates LPS-induced cognitive impairment in mice. Nutrients, 2022, 14(21): 4599.
34. Scarpellini C, Klejborowska G, Lanthier C, et al. Oxazole-based ferroptosis inhibitors with promising properties to treat central nervous system diseases. J Med Chem, 2025, 68(4): 4908-4928.
35. 王友年, 劉強勝, 孟坤, 等. 鐵死亡在阿爾茨海默病中的分子機制及靶向治療突破: 從基礎到臨床轉化. 醫學新知, 2025, 35(6): 697-707.
36. Zhang JB, Jia X, Cao Q, et al. Ferroptosis-regulated cell death as a therapeutic strategy for neurodegenerative diseases: current status and future prospects. ACS Chem Neurosci, 2023, 14(17): 2995-3012.
37. Liu N, Yu W, Sun M, et al. Research trends and hotspots of ferroptosis in neurodegenerative diseases from 2013 to 2023: a bibliometrics study. Heliyon, 2024, 10(8): e29418.
38. Li Z, Zhang Y, Ji M, et al. Targeting ferroptosis in neuroimmune and neurodegenerative disorders for the development of novel therapeutics. Biomed Pharmacother, 2024, 176: 116777.
39. Han Q, Sun L, Xiang K. Research progress of ferroptosis in Alzheimer disease: a review. Medicine (Baltimore), 2023, 102(36): e35142.
40. Zhang H, Deng T, Liu R, et al. CAF secreted miR-522 suppresses ferroptosis and promotes acquired chemo-resistance in gastric cancer. Mol Cancer, 2020, 19(1): 43.
41. Hu W, Liang K, Zhu H, et al. Ferroptosis and its role in chronic diseases. Cells, 2022, 11(13): 2040.
42. Deng PX, Silva M, Yang N, et al. Artemisinin inhibits neuronal ferroptosis in Alzheimer’s disease models by targeting KEAP1. Acta Pharmacol Sin, 2025, 46(2): 326-337.
43. Belaidi AA, Masaldan S, Southon A, et al. Apolipoprotein E potently inhibits ferroptosis by blocking ferritinophagy. Mol Psychiatry, 2024, 29(2): 211-220.

West China Medical Journal

Bibliometric analysis of ferroptosis research in neurodegenerative disease

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