Rutin Attenuates the Oxidative Damage Induced by Zearalenone in Piglet Endometrial Stromal Cells via the p53 Signaling Pathway

Zearalenone (ZEA) induces oxidative damage in porcine endometrial stromal cells (ESCs), which is a critical factor affecting the growth and reproduction of female pigs. We hypothesize that rutin, a flavonoid antioxidant, can alleviate ZEA-induced cellular damage through the p53 signaling pathway. In this experiment, porcine ESCs were used as a research model. After transfection with siRNA to silence the p53 gene, rutin and ZEA were added to the cocultured porcine ESCs. Rutin notably reduced the ZEA-induced apoptosis rate, ROS, MDA, and 4-HNE levels via the p53 pathway; lowered the expression of LC3, Beclin-1, p62, Bax, and CHOP; and significantly improved cell viability, GSH-Px, T-SOD enzyme activity, and Bcl-2 expression. It also inhibited both apoptosis and autophagy. These findings suggested a novel antioxidant mechanism by which rutin mitigated the toxic effects of ZEA, highlighting the role of the p53 gene knockdown in this process.