Effect of Abiotic Stress Conditions on Alkaloid Metabolism: A Bibliometric Analysis
Effect of Abiotic Stress Conditions on Alkaloid Metabolism
Abstract
Alkaloids are nitrogen-containing secondary metabolites that play essential roles in plant defense, stress adaptation and pharmaceutical applications. Increasing climatic variability has intensified the exposure of plants to abiotic stresses such as drought, salinity, temperature extremes and ultraviolet (UV) radiation, thereby influencing alkaloid biosynthesis and accumulation. This study aimed to synthesize current knowledge on the physiological, biochemical and molecular mechanisms regulating alkaloid metabolism under abiotic stress. While, providing a comprehensive bibliometric assessment of global research trends in this field. A systematic bibliometric analysis was conducted using the Web of Science Core Collection database and the retrieved records were analyzed through VOSviewer to evaluate publication trends, leading contributors, collaboration networks and emerging research themes. The findings revealed that abiotic stresses significantly alter alkaloid metabolism through phytohormonal signaling, transcriptional regulation and metabolic reprogramming. Key stress-responsive pathways involving jasmonic acid, abscisic acid, reactive oxygen species and transcription factors such as AP2/ERF, WRKY and MYB were identified as major regulators of alkaloid biosynthesis. Bibliometric analysis demonstrated a substantial increase in research output over recent decades, with China and the United States emerging as the most productive countries. The Chinese Academy of Sciences, China Agricultural University and the University of Calgary were among the leading research institutions. Industrial Crops and Products, Molecules and Plant Physiology were identified as influential journals. While, Elsevier dominated as the leading publisher in this research domain. Keyword analysis highlighted a shift from fundamental alkaloid biosynthesis studies toward climate resilience, stress adaptation and multi-omics approaches. Future research should integrate genomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics, artificial intelligence and genome-editing technologies to accelerate the development of climate-resilient medicinal plants with stable alkaloid profiles under changing environmental conditions.
