Nano-selenium alleviates the pyroptosis and inflammation of ST cells induced by deoxynivalenol via ROS/NF-κB/NLRP3 axis.

Deoxynivalenol (DON), a widespread environmental contaminant in agriculture, poses significant risks to human and animal health through its presence in contaminated feed and food. Notably, DON exhibits reproductive toxicity, including testicular damage and disruption of reproductive function. While nano-selenium (Nano-Se) is recognized for its potent antioxidant properties, its potential to mitigate DON-induced damage in swine testis (ST) cells and the underlying mechanisms remain unexplored. In this study, ST cells were treated with DON, Nano-Se, and PDTC (an NF-κB inhibitor) to investigate the interplay between oxidative stress, pyroptosis, and inflammation. Our findings demonstrated that DON exposure disrupts redox balance by triggering excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, thereby depleting antioxidant enzyme activity. This oxidative stress activates the NF-κB/NLRP3 signaling pathway, leading to upregulated expression of pyroptosis-related genes (NLRP3 and caspase-1) and subsequent release of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β and IL-18). Remarkably, co-treatment with Nano-Se or PDTC alleviated DON-induced pyroptosis and inflammation by targeting ROS-mediated NF-κB/NLRP3 signaling. This study elucidates DON-induced oxidative stress via the ROS/NF-κB/NLRP3 axis and establishes Nano-Se's therapeutic role in mitigating pyroptosis and inflammatory damage, providing a targeted strategy to counteract mycotoxin-related reproductive toxicity in livestock and improve agricultural safety.