Runjie Li,1,2,* Rongna Lian,1,3,* Hiruni T Siriwardena,4 Jiaojiao Jiang,5 Ming Yang1,3 

1National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Geriatrics, Ya ‘an People’s Hospital, Ya ‘an, People’s Republic of China; 3Center of Gerontology and Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, People’s Republic of China; 4West China School of Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, People’s Republic of China; 5Rehabilitation Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, People’s Republic of China

*These authors contributed equally to this work

Correspondence: Ming Yang, Center of Gerontology and Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 37 Guoxue Lane, Chengdu, Sichuan, People’s Republic of China, TelFax +86 28 8542 2321, Email yangmier@gmail.com; yangmier@scu.edu.cn Jiaojiao Jiang, Rehabilitation Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 37 Guoxue Lane, Chengdu, Sichuan, People’s Republic of China, TelFax +86 28 8542 2313, Email jiangjiaojiao1997@163.com

Abstract: Despite over 30 years of microbiome and skeletal muscle research, no quantitative analysis of sarcopenia and the microbiome literature had been conducted. Our bibliometric study examined research status, hotspots, and future trends. We utilized bibliometric techniques to search the Science Citation Index Extended Database on February 27, 2023, using the Bibliometrix package in R to create a map displaying scientific production and subject categories. Collaborative network maps between countries/regions were visualized using Scimago Graphica, while VOSviewer explored collaboration modes among individuals and institutions. We analyzed the top 25 emerging keywords, top co-occurring keyword networks, and co-occurring keyword clusters using CiteSpace. A total of 997 articles were retrieved for sarcopenia and microbiome, of which 633 papers were analyzed. Both the number of publications and total citation frequency had been continuously increasing. The United States had the highest total citation frequency, while China had the highest number of publications. Research on the impact of the microbiome on sarcopenia was in its nascent stage and spans multiple disciplines, including nutrition, microbiology, geriatrics, immunology, endocrinology and metabolism, molecular biology, and sports medicine. The University of Copenhagen contributed the most to the number of publications (n=16), with Tibbett M (n=7) and Hulver MW (n=7) among the top authors. The most published journal was “Nutrients” (n=24). Analysis of keywords and clusters revealed new research hotspots in microbes and sarcopenia, such as malnutrition, dietary fiber, signaling pathways, frailty, and intestinal permeability. Research on the impact of the microbiome on sarcopenia is in its infancy and spans multiple disciplines. Malnutrition, dietary fiber, signaling pathways, frailty, and intestinal microbes are currently research hotspots. Furthermore, the visual atlas analysis of research on microbes and sarcopenia helps to track the knowledge structure in research fields related to sarcopenia and microbes, providing direction for future research.

Keywords: bibliometric analysis, microbes, skeletal muscle, scientometrics, muscle wasting