Author(s)

Zhang Lijuan ¹, Yi Yun ¹, Liu Jinhui ¹

Affiliation(s)

¹ Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Xianyang, China

Corresponding Author

Liu Jinhui

ABSTRACT

This study systematically evaluated the research status, development trends, and emerging hotspots of dissolving microneedles (DMNs) using bibliometric and visualization methods. Publications related to DMNs from 2005 to 2025 were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection, and CiteSpace and VOSviewer were employed to perform bibliometric analyses, including publication trends, countries/regions, institutions, authors, journals, and keyword co-occurrence, with visual knowledge maps constructed to identify collaboration networks and research frontiers. A total of 1,514 publications were included, with annual numbers increasing significantly from 2 in 2005 to 301 in 2025, showing an approximate growth rate of 28.5% and indicating rapid expansion, particularly after 2018. China was the most productive country, followed by the United States, South Korea, and Northern Ireland, while major research clusters centered around Queen's University Belfast and leading Chinese institutions such as the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Sun Yat-sen University. Keyword analysis revealed that current research hotspots mainly focus on fabrication techniques, therapeutic delivery, nanoparticles, and applications in vaccines and insulin delivery, with cluster analysis further indicating widespread applications in vaccine delivery, wound healing, and rheumatoid arthritis treatment. Overall, DMN research is undergoing rapid expansion and increasing interdisciplinary integration, with current studies emphasizing material design, fabrication technologies, and biomedical applications, while future efforts should focus on improving mechanical properties, optimizing drug delivery performance, expanding clinical applications, and promoting large-scale production and clinical translation to advance DMNs as a promising delivery platform.

KEYWORDS

Dissolving microneedles; Bibliometrics; Transdermal delivery; Vaccines; Insulin

CITE THIS PAPER

Zhang Lijuan, Yi Yun, Liu Jinhui. Research Trends of Dissolving Microneedles: A Bibliometric and Visualization Analysis Using CiteSpace and VOSviewer. MEDS Basic Medicine (2026). Vol. 4, No. 1, 97-104. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.23977/medbm.2026.040113.

REFERENCES

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