Current Applications and Future Challenges of Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Extracellular Vesicles in Tissue Engineering: A Bibliometric Analysis.

Background: Extracellular vesicles derived from mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs-EVs) are nano-sized vesicles and have become key mediators in tissue engineering and emerging therapeutic agents in regenerative medicine. This study systematically assessed the global research trend of MSCs-EVs for tissue engineering through bibliometric analysis of literature from 2014 to 2024. Methods: A comprehensive search of Web of Science retrieved 752 eligible articles. We visualized and further analyzed collaboration, co-citation, co-authorship and co-occurrence through VOSviewer and Citespace, focusing on their application and future development trends. Results: Annual publications increased continuously, with China and the United States accounting for 48.9% and 19.1% of research output, respectively, accompanied by intensive transnational cooperation. China leads in number of publications, number of years, total citations, H index and collaboration. The evolution of research trends confirms that the current field of application has expanded from cellular repair to drug delivery systems and biomaterial integration. Keyword cooccurrence reveals three clusters of research: artificial editing of exosomes (membranes), drug delivery (drugs, nucleic acids), and regeneration mechanisms (bone morphogenesis, angiogenesis regulation). The International Journal of Molecular Science became the most influential journal, and Shanghai Jiaotong University was a leader in institutional productivity. Conclusion: This study is the first comprehensive quantitative analysis of tissue-engineered EVs and details trends and advances in tissue-engineered EVs research within the field of regenerative medicine. It portrays recent frontiers and hotspots, providing valuable insights for researchers in this particular area of research.