Kaempferol ameliorates PCOS by alleviating metabolic and endocrine abnormalities as well as oxidative stress

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is an endocrine irregularity aligned with enhanced androgen levels, insulin resistance (IR), dyslipidemia, ovulation disorders, and infertility. For decades, natural active ingredients from plants have been utilized as pharmaceuticals to treat a wide range of reproductive system disorders. Most importantly, their effects are achieved either through targeting enzymes, hormones, and/or eliminating reactive oxygen species (ROS) in ovarian cells. Kaempferol (KPF) is a natural flavonol belonging to the flavonoid family and has various medicinal features like anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, anticancer, antimicrobial, and cardioprotective properties. Recently, studies have investigated the medicinal impact of various plant extracts containing high concentrations of KPF in animal models of PCOS. The results of these studies show that this flavonol can boost the metabolic and hormonal abnormalities of rat with PCOS. In this research paper, for the first time, the molecular effects of KPF on improving metabolic and hormonal as well as oxidative stress parameters of PCOS rats were investigated. In this study, 30 Sprague-Dawley rats were arbitrarily studied in four groups: control, letrozole-induced PCOS, KPF, KPF+ metformin (MET). The blood species, adipose and ovarian tissues were prepared to investigate the therapeutic impacts of KPF on PCOS rats. Our results pointed out that the examined therapeutic factors effectively alleviated HA, IR as well as oxidative stress in PCOS rats and improved the browning of adipose tissue in these animals. To the best of our knowledge, this report is the first that indicates the favorable effects of KPF on steroidogenesis, insulin resistance and oxidative stress-related genes in rats with PCOS. Our findings showed that it successfully regulates the mentioned abnormalities in generated animal model. Therefore, these data point out that KPF can be a novel medicinal alternative for women with PCOS.