Transcriptome Analysis Reveals the Molecular Mechanism of Potentilla anserina L. Polysaccharides in Mitigating Zearalenone-Induced Oxidative Stress in Porcine Sertoli Cells

Zearalenone (ZEA) is a widespread mycotoxin that contaminates cereals and other animal feeds. Sertoli cells (SCs) are the main target of attack by many environmental toxins. Our previous study found that <i>Potentilla anserina</i> L. polysaccharides (PAP-1b) exhibited protective effects against ZEA-induced oxidative damage in testicular SCs. However, the regulatory mechanisms remain incompletely characterized. In this study, SCs were treated with a complete medium (CON group) or medium containing 150 μg/mL PAP-1b (PAP-1b group). After 4 h, 100 μM ZEA was added to the ZEA group and PAP-1b-ZEA group, respectively. Samples were collected after the cells continued to be incubated for 48 h and subsequently subjected to transcriptome sequencing. The results showed that 1018, 7183, and 1023 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened in the CON-vs.-PAP-1b, CON-vs.-ZEA, and ZEA-vs.-PAP-1b-ZEA groups, respectively. Among them, glutathione peroxidase 1 (<i>GPX1</i>) emerges as a key gene within this antioxidant defense mechanism. In addition, these DEGs were significantly enriched in Gene Ontology (GO) terms related to oxidative stress as well as in MAPK and PI3K-AKT signaling pathways, suggesting that PAP-1b effectively mitigated ZEA-induced oxidative damage in SCs by regulating these signaling pathways. These results provide an essential basis for the further elucidation of the role of PAP-1b in mitigating ZEA-induced oxidative damage in SCs.