Global trends and hotspots of tumor necrosis factor-alpha in pulmonary tuberculosis: a bibliometric and visualization analysis.

Background: Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) plays a dual role in pulmonary tuberculosis, mediating protective immune responses while also contributing to pathological tissue damage. This dichotomy has attracted considerable research interest in recent years. Nevertheless, a comprehensive bibliometric analysis in this specific field remains lacking. The present study aims to fill this gap by examining global research trends and identifying emerging hotspots related to TNF-α in pulmonary tuberculosis through bibliometric methods. Methods: Relevant literature published between 1990 and 2024 was retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) database. VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and R 4.3.3 were utilized for the analysis. Results: A total of 1,200 articles were included in this study. The annual number of publications has consistently increased since 1990, with an average annual growth rate of 10.73%. These articles were authored by 6,129 researchers affiliated with 1,581 institutions across 83 countries/regions. The United States emerged as the leading contributor, ranking first in both total publications (TP =277) and citations [14,911]. The Indian Council of Medical Research was the most productive institution, with 83 articles. Kaplan G. was identified as the most influential author, ranking first in total citations (TC =2,348) and achieving an H-index of 17. The Journal of Immunology led the journals in both citations [4,332] and H-index [46]. The most frequently occurring keyword included "mycobacterium-tuberculosis", "infection", and "interferon-gamma". Recent keyword bursts featured "biomarkers" [2019-2024] and "inflammation" [2022-2024]. Conclusions: This bibliometric analysis underscores the evolving focus of TNF-α research in pulmonary tuberculosis, transitioning from foundational studies on immune mechanisms to applied research aimed at diagnostics and biomarkers. Future research should aim to validate the effectiveness of TNF-α gene markers across different populations and disease stages, investigate their molecular mechanisms and interactions with other cytokines, and work towards optimizing personalized treatments and improving clinical management outcomes.