Exploring the Lactylation Landscape: A Bibliometric Analysis of Metabolic-Epigenetic Interplay in Disease Mechanisms and Therapeutic Potential

BACKGROUND: Lactylation, a recently discovered post-translational modification linking lactate metabolism to epigenetic regulation, has become a key player in metabolic reprogramming and disease development. Although this field is expanding rapidly, a comprehensive analysis of its growth and trends is still lacking. METHODS: A bibliometric review of 798 publications (2019-2025) from the Web of Science Core Collection was performed using CiteSpace and VOSviewer to analyze research trends, collaboration networks, and knowledge structures. RESULTS: Annual publications grew rapidly, projected to exceed 450 by 2025. China led in research output, while the United States and South Korea achieved higher citation impact. Leading journals (e.g., Nature, Cell Metabolism) have driven key discoveries, with major focus areas including tumor-immune microenvironment interactions (such as therapy resistance), metabolic-epigenetic connections, and neurodegenerative disorders. Studies on histone lactylation dominate, but emerging frontiers involve non-histone targets and advances in detection methods. DISCUSSION: Bibliometric data reveal a disparity between publication volume and citation impact, particularly between China and other leading nations. Research hotspots are evolving from foundational histone mechanisms to systems-level exploration of therapy resistance and neurodegeneration. However, the field faces bottlenecks in non-histone detection technologies and a need for broader international collaboration. CONCLUSION: Despite progress, challenges persist, such as standardizing detection techniques, improving sensitivity for non-histone lactylation analysis, and clarifying microenvironment- specific regulatory pathways. International and interdisciplinary efforts, along with technological advancements, are essential to translate lactylation-mediated metabolic-epigenetic crosstalk into clinical applications, particularly in precision medicine and biomarker discovery.