Visualizing the Knowledge Domain of Nanoparticle Drug Delivery Technologies: A Scientometric Review

Abstract

Abstract:The scientific literature of nanoparticle drug delivery technologies (NDDT) between 2005 and 2014 was reviewed. The visualized co-citation network of its knowledge domain was characterized in terms of thematic concentrations of co-cited references and emerging trends of surging keywords and citations to references through a scientometric review. The combined dataset of 25,171 bibliographic records were constructed through topic search and citation expansion to ensure adequate coverage of the field. While research in gold nanoparticle and magnetic nanoparticle remains the two most prominent knowledge domains in the NDDT field, research related to clinical and therapeutic applications has experienced a considerable growth. In particular, clinical and therapeutic developments in NDDT have demonstrated profound connections with the mesoporous silica nanoparticle research and microcrystal research. A rapid adaptation of mesoporous silica-based nanomaterials and rare earth fluoride nano-/microcrystal in NDDT is evident. Innovative strategies have been employed to exploit the multicomponent, chemical synthesis, surface modification, and controlled release imparting functionalized targeting capabilities. This study not only facilitated the connection of authors and research themes in the NDDT community, but also demonstrated how research interests and trends evolve over time, which greatly contributes to our understanding of the NDDT knowledge domains.

Mechanically Strong CaSiO3 Scaffolds Incorporating B2O3-ZnO Liquid Phase

“…The scaffolds (W 0 ) were exposed to SBF solution for different periods (3,7,14,21 and 28 days) with the liquid/solid ratio of 100 mL/g. The immersion experiments were carried out at 37 • C and the SBF solution were renovated every two days.…”

“…Bioactive ceramics, such as bioglasses, hydroxyapatite (HAp) and calcium silicate (CaSiO 3 ), are accepted as the most promising bone implant substitutes in bone tissue engineering [1][2][3]. Recently, CaSiO 3 has attracted increasing attention due to its excellent HAp-forming ability and outstanding proliferation ability of osteoblast-like cells [4,5].…”

“…Recently, CaSiO 3 has attracted increasing attention due to its excellent HAp-forming ability and outstanding proliferation ability of osteoblast-like cells [4,5]. However, its inherent brittleness causes an insufficient mechanical strength that makes it hardly able to provide structural support for the new bone ingrowth, which impedes its clinical application in load-bearing bone repair [6,7].…”

Tunable Degradation Rate and Favorable Bioactivity of Porous Calcium Sulfate Scaffolds by Introducing Nano-Hydroxyapatite

“…The nHAp powder was bought from the Nanjing Emperor Nona Material Co., (Nanjing, China), and it was synthesized using (CH 3 O) 3 and Ca(NO 3 ) 2 ·4H 2 O as precursors by sol-gel method. The powder had a length of 150 nm and a diameter of 20 nm.…”

“…Biodegradable scaffolds are becoming extremely promising objects for bone substitution and repair [1][2][3][4]. They can provide a temporary structural support for cell growth and migration, and act as an extracellular matrix to induce tissue regeneration [5,6].…”