Abstract: Objective To investigate the anti-tumor effect and potential mechanism ofkaempferol on esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) cells. Methods CCK-8, colony formation and flow cytometry were used to determine the effect of kaempferol on the proliferation andapoptosis of ECA-109 cells. Transwell assay was used to detect cell invasion. Western blotting wasemployed to measure the protein expression levels. Results Compared with the 0 μmol / L kaempferol group, the 40 μmol / L and 60 μmol / L kaempferol groups had significantly inhibited proliferationand invasion of ECA-109 cells and enhanced apoptosis. Moreover, kaempferol (40 μmol / L and 60μmol / L ) had significantly decreased expression levels of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and Ki67, and lower phosphorylation levels of phosphatidylin-ositol-3-kinase ( PI3K) and protein kinase B ( AKT), and increased expression levels of pro-apoptosis-related proteins. In addition, PI3K activator 740Y-P reversed the regulatory effect of kaempferol on proliferation, invasion and apoptosis of ECA-109 cells. Conclusion Kaempferol inhibits the proliferation, invasion and inducesthe apoptosis of ECA-109 cells by inhibiting PI3K / AKT signaling pathway.

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