A bibliometric analysis and review of recent researches on Piezo (2010-2020)

The Piezo channel protein is a type of mechanicalsensitive ion channel that was discovered by Coste et al. in 2010 using RNA interference technology in a mouse Neuro2A cell line [1]. Since its discovery, Piezo has attracted the attention of scholars in various fields. Many studies have reported that Piezo is necessary for cells to respond to mechanical stimuli and can convert mechanical signals sensed by the membrane into intracellular electrical or chemical signals. In vertebrates, Piezo channel proteins mainly include Piezo1 and Piezo2 proteins, which are encoded by the genes FAM38A and FAM38B, and consist of 2500 and 2800 amino acids, respectively. The Piezo1 protein is highly expressed in the lungs, bladder, and skin [2], whereas Piezo2 is mainly expressed in the nervous system [3]. In recent years, it has been found that Piezo1 can be activated by a variety of mechanical stresses, including compressive stress [4], stretching [5], and fluid shear stress [6]. In 2014, the Piezo protein was found to play a regulatory role in the mechanical signal transduction of chondrocytes. Lee [7], and other researchers, revealed that Piezo1 and Piezo2 were highly expressed in the mechanical environment of chondrocytes and that the apoptosis rate of chondrocytes could be reduced by treatment with the Piezo1 channel inhibitor GsMTx4. Servin-Vences et al. [8] found that Piezo1 can mediate a tension-induced intracellular current in chondrocytes using a high-speed pressure clamp method. After silencing Piezo1 expression in chondrocytes with miRNA, the number of chondrocytes responding to mechanical stimulation decreased significantly (50%), while chondrocytes treated with the Piezo1 activator (Yoda1) exhibited a significantly enhanced mechanical response, which further confirmed the role of Piezo1 in mechanical stress signal transduction in chondrocytes. In 2017, Sugimoto et al. [9] reported that Piezo1 can promote osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells under compressive stress. The Piezo channel also plays an important role in hemopathy. In 2012, Zarychanski et al. found that mutations in the mechanotransduction protein (PIEZO1) contribute to hereditary xerocytosis [10]. The Piezo 1 channel was also shown to be required for vascular development in mice [11]. These studies revealed that the Piezo channel plays an important role in human health. As research in the Piezo channel continues to expand, the literature continues to progress as well. However, the topics and characteristics of most-cited articles on the Piezo channel have yet to be investigated. Bibliometric techniques are statistical analysis and quantitative tools that have been used in information research and library practice over a long period [12]. In addition, bibliometric methods can help researchers understand how the knowledge within a publica tion is used by a process involving the extraction of measurable data through statistical analysis of published research [13]. By using statistical and quantitative tools, bibliometric analysis can demonstrate information of a certain field to researchers, including patterns of countries, institutions, journals, authors, and keywords related to specific publication types [14]. In this study, we aimed to provide a report on scientific production in research on the Piezo channel among countries over the last 10 years