{
  "abstract": "Background: Kaempferol is a naturally occurring flavonoid with reported anticancer properties; however, its effects on breast cancer cells and tumor-associated molecular imaging require further investigation. This study evaluated the effects of kaempferol using complementary in vitro assays and a 7,12-dimethylbenz [a]anthracene (DMBA)-induced breast cancer rat model assessed by [ 99m Tc]Tc-PSMA SPECT/CT imaging.\n\nMethods: MCF-7 breast cancer cells were treated with kaempferol, and cell viability was assessed using the MTT assay across a concentration range of 0–80 µM. Apoptosis, wound closure, and the expression of E-cadherin and VEGF were also evaluated. The half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC ₅₀ ) was estimated using nonlinear four-parameter logistic regression of replicate-level concentration–response data. In vivo , 8-week-old rats were allocated into cancer control, kaempferol pre-treatment, and post-treatment groups (n = 10/group). Mammary tumors were induced using DMBA, and animals received kaempferol (100 mg/kg/day, oral gavage) according to the experimental protocol. Tumor-associated tracer uptake was evaluated using [ 99m Tc]Tc-PSMA SPECT/CT imaging and quantified using tumor-to-background ratios (TBRs).\n\nResults: Kaempferol reduced MCF-7 cell viability in a concentration-dependent manner, with nonlinear regression estimating an IC ₅₀ of approximately 40 µM. Kaempferol treatment was associated with increased apoptosis, reduced wound closure, increased E-cadherin expression, and decreased VEGF expression. In vivo imaging demonstrated significant differences in tumor tracer uptake among the experimental groups. The pre-treatment group showed significantly lower TBR values (64.65 ± 1.69) than the cancer control (71.18 ± 1.83) and post-treatment groups (71.16 ± 1.06), whereas no significant difference was observed between the cancer control and post-treatment groups. One-way ANOVA demonstrated a significant overall group effect (F (2,27) = 58.08, p < 0.001, η ² = 0.81).\n\nConclusion: Kaempferol demonstrated concentration-dependent cytotoxic effects and modulation of cancer-associated cellular markers in MCF-7 cells. In the DMBA-induced breast cancer model, reduced tumor-associated [ 99m Tc]Tc-PSMA uptake was observed predominantly following kaempferol pre-treatment, suggesting a potential chemopreventive effect. The findings support the complementary use of in vitro pharmacological assays and molecular imaging to investigate treatment-associated changes in tumor biology.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Nuclear Medicine, College of Medicine, Kuwait University"
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 1,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Fatma J. Al-Saeedi"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/19f2qm954magw.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3389/fphar.2026.1961418",
  "fulltext_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13687055",
  "id": "19f2qm954magw",
  "issns": [
    "1663-9812"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2026.1961418/full",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2736|Flavonoids in Medical Research"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7221030979",
  "pdf_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13687055?pdf=render",
  "pmcid": "PMC13687055",
  "pmid": "42922955",
  "published": "2026-10-08",
  "publisher": "Frontiers Media SA",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/19f2qm954magw.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:20:06Z",
      "native_id": "10.3389/fphar.2026.1961418",
      "source": "crossref",
      "url": "https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2026.1961418/full"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:20:36Z",
      "native_id": "MED:42922955",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42922955"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:2736|Flavonoids in Medical Research",
      "subfield": "pharmacology-toxicology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Evaluation of the anticancer effects of kaempferol using in vitro assays and [99mTc]Tc-PSMA SPECT/CT imaging in a DMBA-induced breast cancer model",
  "title_text": "Evaluation of the anticancer effects of kaempferol using in vitro assays and [99mTc]Tc-PSMA SPECT/CT imaging in a DMBA-induced breast cancer model",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:20:36Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/19f2qm954magw",
  "venue": "Frontiers in Pharmacology",
  "versions": []
}