Hotspots and Emerging Trends in JAK Inhibitor Therapy for Vitiligo: A Bibliometric Analysis (2015–2025)

Abstract

Background Vitiligo is an acquired depigmented skin disease that severely impairs the patients’ quality of life. In recent years, Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors have become a research hotspot in vitiligo treatment. However, systematic trend analysis and visualization of research mapping in this field are lacking. This study seeks to characterize the evolution of JAK inhibitor therapy for vitiligo from 2015 to 2025. Methods A search was conducted in the Web of Science focusing on JAK inhibitor therapy for vitiligo from 2015 to 2025, including Article and Review Article in English, on March 1, 2026. VOSviewer, CiteSpace, Scimago Graphica, and Microsoft Excel 2021 were used for the bibliometric analysis and visualization. Meanwhile, the verification was conducted using the PubMed database. Results A total of 268 publications appeared in this research area over the 2015–2025 period. Most of them originated from the United States and China. The most influential contributor was Harris John E. with the highest co-citation count. Frontiers in Immunology was the leading journal by publication volume. According to keyword burst detection, tofacitinib and chemokine-related research have emerged as the latest focal points. These findings highlight JAK inhibitor therapy as a promising direction for future therapeutic development. Conclusion This article summarizes the current research landscape and emerging advances in JAK inhibitors therapy for vitiligo. JAK inhibitor research in vitiligo has undergone a paradigm shift from non-specific immunosuppression to targeted blockade of the IFN-γ-CXCL9/10 inflammatory axis, providing a valuable reference for future research in this field.