Global Trends and Research Frontiers in Ischemic Stroke and Inflammation: A Bibliometric Analysis from 2015 to 2025

Background This study aimed to provide a bibliometric overview of ischemic stroke (IS) and inflammation, summarize recent advances, identify research hotspots, and highlight potential directions for inflammation-targeted therapeutic strategies. Methods Publications on IS and inflammation from 2015 to 2025 were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection. Bibliometrix, VOSviewer, and CiteSpace were used to analyze and visualize countries/regions, institutions, authors, journals, cited references, and keyword networks. Results A total of 7,338 publications from 1,287 sources were included. Scientific output increased substantially over the past decade. China and the USA were the leading contributors. China ranked first in publication output and total citations, whereas the USA showed a higher average citation rate and broader international collaboration. Major universities and medical research centers, including Capital Medical University, Zhejiang University, and Harvard University, made substantial contributions and formed active collaboration networks. The International Journal of Molecular Sciences was the most productive journal, while the Journal of Neuroinflammation had the highest impact factor among the top 10 source journals. Keyword and cluster analyses identified oxidative stress, reperfusion injury, blood-brain barrier dysfunction, microglial activation, autophagy, pyroptosis, gut microbiota, network pharmacology, and stem cell-related research as major hotspots and emerging frontiers. Conclusion This bibliometric analysis mapped the knowledge structure and research trends of IS and inflammation from 2015 to 2025. The findings suggest rapid growth in this field, with increasing emphasis on microglia-centered mechanisms, regulated cell death, neurovascular injury, gut microbiota, and translational therapeutic strategies. Clinical Trial Registration Not applicable.