Advances in metabolites of actinobacteria: a study based on Web of Science(WOS) and China National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI)

Abstract:

[Background] Actinobacteria are a class of microorganisms capable of producing rich metabolites, which are widely used in medicine, biotechnology, agriculture, and enzyme industry. [Objective] To review the research progress in the metabolites of actinobacteria and provide effective information for the high-quality development of this field. [Methods] Statistical analyses were conducted on the number, countries, institutions, journals, publishers, and authors of publications, cited articles, and research directions of the metabolites of actinobacteria. The relevant articles were retrieved from the Web of Science (WOS) and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI). The H-index was calculated to comprehensively evaluate the impact. The research hotspots and development trends were visualized in CiteSpace and VOSviewer. [Results] The analysis based on WOS showed that the United States, the University of California, Applied and Environmental Microbiology, and Elsevier were the country, institution, journal, and publisher, respectively, with the highest impact in this field. Professor Mervyn J Bibb in the microbiology department of the John Innes Centre in the UK was the author with highest impact. The main research direction in the metabolites of actinobacteria worldwide was Microbiology, and the research focused on the biosynthesis. The research trend evolved from the genes and antibiotics before 2000 to gut microbiota and natural products after 2000. The analysis based on CNKI showed that Northwest A&F University, Microbiology China, and Professor Lihua Xu at Yunnan University were the institution, journal, and author, respectively, with the highest impact in this field in China. The main research direction was Biology, and the research focused on actinomycetes. The research trend in this field in China shifted from antibiotics and biosynthesis before 2000 to diversity and identification after 2000. [Conclusion] The research on the metabolites of actinobacteria is flourishing worldwide. The United States was a global leader in this field, ranking first in the world in terms of the number of publications and the H-index, with strongly influential institutions, journals, and publishers. China ranked second in terms of the number of publications and fifth in terms of the H-index, and the publishing institutions and scholars had influences at home and abroad. In the future, China should strengthen the publishing of high-quality articles and the building of journals and publishers in the research on the metabolites of actinobacteria and double the efforts to study gut microbiota and discover natural products, so as to build up the strength in this research field.