## 2 Bibliometric Analysis
### Authors' Keywords Analysis
The overlay visualization generated using VOSviewer v. 1.6.20 (Figure 2c) provides a temporal perspective on the evolution of research themes in antimicrobial compounds and their mechanisms of action. The color scale at the bottom right corner, ranging from purple (older publications, around 2015) to yellow (more recent publications, around 2020), indicates the average publication year for each term. In the network, central and highly connected terms such as \"mechanisms\", \" antimicrobial activity\", and \"resistance\" appear predominantly in green tones, suggesting that these core topics have been consistently studied over time. However, peripheral terms display a more varied color distribution, indicating emerging or declining research interests. For instance, \"silver nanoparticles\", \"green synthesis\", and \"antioxidant\" appear in yellowish green, implying increased attention in recent years. This aligns with the growing interest in alternative antimicrobial strategies based on nanotechnology and natural extracts. On the other hand, terms such as \"antibacterial peptides\", \"lipid bilayers\", and \"pore formation\" are primarily in purple or blue tones, suggesting that their research peak occurred earlier, around 2015-2017. This might reflect an initial surge in investigations on peptide-based antimicrobials and their interaction with bacterial membranes, followed by a shift towards newer approaches or refinements of existing knowledge. The presence of recent terms like \"melittin\", \"cationic antimicrobial peptides\", and \"binding\" in green or yellow shades indicates that there is still ongoing research into peptide-based antimicrobial strategies, with refinements in their molecular mechanisms and design strategies. Thus, the overlay visualization effectively highlights the temporal evolution of antimicrobial research, showing how some topics remain central while others emerge or decline. The increasing focus on green synthesis, silver nanoparticles, and antioxidant-based approaches suggests a shift towards more sustainable and multifunctional antimicrobial strategies. At the same time, the continued interest in resistance mechanisms and biofilm formation underscores the persistent challenges in combating bacterial infections. VOSviewer v. 1.6.20 applied colors to keywords based on the year they appeared in the literature. Keywords in blue appeared early, followed by green and yellow colors, while keywords in red appeared later (Figure 2c). Finally, the density map shows the citation concentration areas for keywords (Figure 2d) [109]. Density visualization in VOSviewer v. 1.6.20 represents the concentration of items within a network. This visualization method is particularly useful in bibliometric analyses, as it identifies areas of high density, which may indicate significant research themes or areas of intense collaboration [110]. The word cloud analysis (Figure 2a) aligns closely with the thematic clusters in the network visualization (Figure 2b), reinforcing research priorities in plant antimicrobial compounds. The prominence of terms such as \"mechanisms\", \" antimicrobial\", and \"resistance\" reflects their strong association with Cluster I (Molecular mechanisms of antimicrobial action) and Cluster II (Antimicrobial activity and resistance). These findings show that a substantial portion of the literature is dedicated to understanding antimicrobial efficacy's biochemical and genetic foundations. Similarly, the frequent appearance of \"oxidative stress\", \"gene expression\", and \"membrane\" highlights their connection to Cluster III (Regulatory systems and gene expression), emphasizing the growing focus on bacterial adaptation and response mechanisms. The presence of \"essential oils\", \"alkaloids\", and \"antioxidant\" in the word cloud mirrors Cluster IV (Phytochemicals and antioxidant properties), indicating the persistent interest in exploring plant-derived bioactive compounds for both antimicrobial and functional applications.