To systematically analyze the related literature of xenogeneic liver transplantation (XLT) at home and abroad, and to explore the hot issues in this field.

CiteSpace software was used to conduct a detailed visual analysis of XLT related literature included in the Web of Science core database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and Wanfang database from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2023. The analysis dimensions included annual publication volume, author, country/region, institution and key words.

A total of 283 English articles and 38 Chinese articles on XLT were included in this analysis. The analysis showed that during this period, the number of Chinese literature published was generally stable, while the number of English literature published showed an overall decline. The top three authors of Chinese literature were Tao Kaishan (11 articles), Dou Kefeng (10 articles) and Li Xiao (10 articles). The top three authors of English articles were Ayares David (13 articles), Burlak Christopher (11 articles), and A Joseph Tector (9 articles). The top three institutions in terms of the number of Chinese articles were Xijing Hospital of Air Force Medical University (9 articles), the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi 'an Jiaotong University (8 articles) and Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (4 articles). The top three institutions in terms of the number of English articles were Harvard University (24 articles), Massachusetts General Hospital (17 articles) and Hospital Clinico Universitario Virgen de la Arrixaca (17 articles) in Spain. The research cooperation between relevant core authors and core institutions at home and abroad had the potential to be further explored. A total of 37 countries and regions participated in XLT research, and the top three countries in terms of the number of articles were the United States (77 articles), China (70 articles), and South Korea (32 articles). Keyword topic cluster analysis revealed that the research focus in the field of XLT at home and abroad mainly focused on seven theme groups: inflammation, cell therapy, experimental model, public attitude, immune microenvironment regulation, biomedical engineering and clinical application. Keyword cluster timeline analysis showed that the research related to immune rejection, inflammation, animal models, cell therapy and attitude had become hot topics in domestic and foreign research, and the research hotspots were closely related.

XLT research is of great significance, and it is expected to further promote the development of this field by strengthening the cooperation between domestic and foreign authors, policy encouragement and preferential funding allocation in the future.