Ochratoxin A Toxicity Research in In Vitro and In Vivo Experimental Settings: A Cross-Software Bibliometric and Science-Mapping Study

Background: Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a widespread mycotoxin with well-established nephrotoxic, immunotoxic, and carcinogenic properties. Despite decades of research, the structure, thematic evolution, and emerging directions of the scientific literature on OTA toxicity remain incompletely mapped. Methods: A bibliometric analysis was conducted using 883 publications indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection (1965–2025). Bibliometrix, VOSviewer, and BibExcel were integrated within a comparative cross-software workflow to assess publication trends, collaboration networks, thematic evolution, and thematic research directions in in vitro and in vivo OTA toxicity studies, while enabling cross-validation of the main bibliometric outputs. Results: After normalisation, authors, journals, author keywords, and Keywords Plus showed strong cross-software agreement, whereas country and institution outputs retained software dependent differences related mainly to country aggregation and affiliation parsing. Publication output increased substantially over the analysed period, particularly during the most recent decade, reflecting the growing visibility of OTA research in food safety and toxicology. The field is highly collaborative and multidisciplinary. Oxidative stress-related terms were prominent in the keyword and thematic analyses and co-occurred with terminology related to apoptosis, DNA damage, and mitochondrial dysfunction. Thematic evolution analyses showed a transition from early studies focused on nephrotoxicity and animal models toward more recent investigations addressing molecular pathways, cellular responses, and microbiota host interactions. Comparatively less prominent or emerging bibliometric themes included the gut immune axis, co-exposure to multiple mycotoxins, and the broader representation of animal-health and productivity-related research. Conclusions: The bibliometric and science mapping analyses indicate that the literature on OTA toxicity has evolved from predominantly organ, and animal model-related research, toward increasing attention to molecular, cellular, intestinal, and microbiota-related topics. These patterns describe changes in the conceptual structure of the literature rather than direct evidence of biological causality. Comparatively, less prominent themes, including human-relevant models, combined exposure scenarios, and microbiome-related research, may warrant further investigation.