Chemo‐preventive and therapeutic effect of the dietary flavonoid kaempferol: A comprehensive review

Kaempferol, a natural flavonoid present in several plants, possesses a wide range of therapeutic properties such as antioxidant, anticancer, and anti‐inflammatory. It has a significant role in reducing cancer and can act as a therapeutic agent in the treatment of diseases and ailments such as diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular diseases, oxidative stress, asthma, and microbial contamination disorders. Kaempferol acts through different mechanisms: It induces apoptosis (HeLa cervical cancer cells), decreases cell viability (G2/M phase), downregulates phosphoinositide 3‐kinase (PI3K)/AKT (protein kinase B) and human T‐cell leukemia/lymphoma virus‐I (HTLV‐I) signaling pathways, suppresses protein expression of epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT)‐related markers including N‐cadherin, E‐cadherin, Slug, and Snail, and metastasis‐related markers such as matrix metallopeptidase 2 (MMP‐2). Accordingly, the aim of the present review is to collect information pertaining to the effective role of kaempferol against various degenerative disorders, summarize the antioxidant, anti‐inflammatory, anticancer, antidiabetic, and antiaging effects of kaempferol and to review the progress of recent research and available data on kaempferol as a protective and chemotherapeutic agent against several ailments.