Rutin Attenuates the Oxidative Damage Induced by Zearalenone in Piglet Endometrial Stromal Cells via the <i>p53</i> 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 <i>p53</i> 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 <i>LC3</i>, <i>Beclin-1</i>, <i>p62</i>, <i>Bax</i>, and <i>CHOP</i>; 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 <i>p53</i> gene knockdown in this process.