Apigenin alleviates Zearalenone-induced antioxidants stress and apoptosis in Swine Testis cells through Wnt signaling pathway

This work will contribute to the new knowledge for the role of apigenin (AP) in alleviating the reproductive toxicity in males caused by zearalenone (ZEN). In this study, we found that zearalenone (ZEN) induced oxidative stress, apoptosis, and cell cycle disruption in ST cells, all of which were significantly alleviated by apigenin (AP) treatment. Mechanistic investigation revealed that AP exerted its protective effects by upregulating LRP5 and activating the Wnt signaling pathway, leading to enhanced proliferation and suppressed apoptosis. Importantly, the protective effects of AP were abrogated by IWR-1-endo, a specific Wnt pathway inhibitor, confirming pathway dependency. This study provides molecular evidence supporting the potential clinical application of AP as a preventive agent against ZEN-induced reproductive toxicity.