Mapping two decades of nanomaterials research in glioblastoma: trends, networks, and translational insights.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is an extremely aggressive and lethal brain tumor marked by extensive invasiveness. Although nanomaterials have garnered increasing attention in GBM research, a comprehensive bibliometric evaluation remains lacking. Here, we perform a bibliometric analysis to map the scientific landscape of nanomaterials in GBM, identifying prevailing research hotspots and emerging directions. A total of 5241 publications on nanomaterials in GBM were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection for bibliometric analysis. VOSviewer and CiteSpace were employed to visualize research output by country/region, author, institution, citation patterns, and keyword co-occurrence. Over the past 25 years, research on nanomaterials in GBM has grown rapidly, with 5,241 publications showing a steady upward trend. China leads in both output and citations, with the Chinese Academy of Sciences as the most influential institution and the National Natural Science Foundation of China providing major funding. The Journal of Controlled Release is the primary publication venue, and Shi Bingyang is the most productive and influential scholar. Key research hotspots include blood-brain barrier-targeting strategies, precision nanoparticle design, and integration with emerging therapies. Persistent themes such as exosm, targeted therapy, cell death, challenge, tumor microenvironment, acid, microenvironment, immunotherapy, and t cell-continue to drive innovation in the field. Current research on nanomaterials for GBM treatment focuses on three major challenges: overcoming therapeutic resistance, elucidating the tumor microenvironment, and enhancing blood-brain barrier penetration. Addressing these obstacles is expected to advance nanomedicine from experimental applications to a transformative approach for clinical GBM diagnosis and therapy.