Apricot Bee Pollen Alleviates Deoxynivalenol-Induced Cellular Toxicity in Bovine Granulosa Cells

Apricot bee pollen is an important natural product that exhibits antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties. Deoxynivalenol (DON), one of the most prevalent mycotoxins produced by <i>Fusarium</i> fungi, poses risks to both human and animal reproductive systems. We observed that exposure to DON inhibited cell proliferation and induced apoptosis in bovine granulosa cells (bGCs), accompanied by a significant downregulation of PCNA expression and an upregulation of BAX expression. RNA sequencing analysis revealed that differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were primarily enriched in the oxidation-reduction process, oxidoreductase activity, and steroid biosynthesis. We further confirmed that DON exposure inhibited the production of estrogen and progesterone by decreasing the protein expression levels of CYP19A1 and StAR. Additionally, DON exposure increased the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in a dose-dependent manner, suggesting that DON induced oxidative stress in bGCs. Importantly, we demonstrated that apricot bee pollen ethanol extract (ABPE) increased the cell viability of bGCs and alleviated the effects of DON-induced cell viability reduction and estrogen dysfunction. Furthermore, ABPE attenuated the DON-induced increase in ROS levels and upregulated the expression of antioxidant-related gene <i>heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1)</i>. These results reveal the protective effects of ABPE against DON-induced cell viability reduction, estrogen disorder, and oxidative stress, providing new insights into the potential of bee pollen as a promising natural agent to improve mycotoxin contamination.