Objective  To analyze the current research status, hotspots and trends in osteoclast differentiation regulated by traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) using knowledge maps.

Methods  Relevant literature on the regulation of osteoclast differentiation by TCM published between January 1, 2000 and June 22, 2022 was retrieved from CNKI, VIP, WanFang Data, and Web of Science databases. CiteSpace and VOSviewer softwares were employed to construct knowledge maps of authors, institutions and keywords.

Results  A total of 962 Chinese articles and 229 English articles were included. From 2000 to 2022, the number of publications has steadily increased both domestically and internationally, and the overall quality of the literature was high. The authors with the most Chinese publications were Zhou Lingling and Zhang Qiaoyan, each with 11 articles, while the leading English author was Qin Luping, with 9 articles. The institutions with the most publications were Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (30 Chinese articles) and Fudan University (13 English articles). Keyword co- occurrence analysis revealed 20 clusters for Chinese keywords and 17 clusters for English keywords, respectively. The research hotspots focused on the regulation of osteoclasts through the OPG/RANKL/RANK pathway, NF-κB signaling pathway, and MAPK signaling pathway by Chinese medicinal herbs, such as Epimedium, Rhizoma Drynariae, and Yougui drinks, targeting diseases like osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and femoral head necrosis.

Conclusion  Research on the regulation of osteoclasts by TCM is rapidly advancing. The mechanism of TCM monomers and compounds in the treatment of osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, femoral head necrosis and other diseases may be a hot topic in future research. At present, the mechanism of TCM for the study of osteoclast differentiation is still unclear, highlighting the need for enhanced communication and deeper collaboration between domestic and international researchers to facilitate further advancements in this field.

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