Cutting-edge dynamics and research hotspots on boswellic acid in cancer: a bibliometrics analysis from 1994 to 2024

Minghe Lv; Lei Tang; Yue Feng; Su Zeng; Hongwei Zeng; Jingping Yu; Qing Ji; Ruping Zhao

doi:10.1007/s12672-025-02953-x

Cutting-edge dynamics and research hotspots on boswellic acid in cancer: a bibliometrics analysis from 1994 to 2024

Discov Oncol. 2025 Jun 21;16(1):1173. doi: 10.1007/s12672-025-02953-x.

Authors

Minghe Lv^#¹, Lei Tang^#², Yue Feng¹, Su Zeng¹, Hongwei Zeng¹, Jingping Yu^#^{3

4}, Qing Ji^#², Ruping Zhao^#⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Radiotherapy, Shuguang Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201203, China.
² Department of Medical Oncology and Cancer Institute, Shuguang Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201203, China.
³ Department of Radiotherapy, Shuguang Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201203, China. yujingping@njmu.edu.cn.
⁴ Department of Radiotherapy, Changzhou Cancer Hospital, Changzhou, 213032, China. yujingping@njmu.edu.cn.
⁵ Department of Radiotherapy, Shuguang Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201203, China. zhaoruping1204@163.com.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Background: Recent studies have highlighted the potential of boswellic acid as a promising therapeutic option in cancer treatment. Despite its growing relevance, there has been a lack of bibliometric analysis exploring the relationship between boswellic acid and cancer. The primary objective of this study was to provide a comprehensive overview of the research landscape, knowledge structure, and emerging trends surrounding boswellic acid and its potential use in oncology.

Method: We conducted a search in the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) database for publications related to boswellic acid and cancer from 1994 to 2024. Bibliometric analysis was performed using tools such as VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and the R package "bibliometrix" to visualize and interpret the data.

Results: The analysis included 332 publications from 49 different countries, with India and China leading in research output. The number of annual publications on boswellic acid and cancer has steadily increased since 2015. The University of Nizwa was identified as the leading institution contributing to this field. The European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry emerged as the most popular journal for publishing articles on this topic, while Planta Medica and Cancer Research received the highest citation counts. The author with the highest number of publications was Al-Harrasi Ahmed, and the most frequently co-cited researcher was Jian-Jun Liu. Emerging research hotspots include key terms such as "phytochemicals", "pharmacokinetics", and "bioavailability".

Conclusion: This bibliometric analysis provides valuable insights into the current state of research on boswellic acid in cancer treatment. It serves as a useful resource for researchers and scholars seeking to explore the evolving landscape of boswellic acid's role in oncology, highlighting that "phytochemicals", "pharmacokinetics", and "bioavailability" might be the key research directions and trends of boswellic acid in cancer research.

Keywords: AKBA; Bibliometrics; Boswellic acid; Cancer.

Abstract

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