Sea Cucumber Polysaccharide from Stichopus japonicu and Its Photocatalytic Degradation Product Alleviate Acute Alcoholic Liver Injury in Mice

Abstract

To prevent alcoholic liver disease, the addition of bioactive substances to the alcoholic drink Baijiu has been considered a feasible option. In the present study, the hepatoprotective effects of a sea cucumber sulfated polysaccharide (SCSP) isolated from Stichopus japonicu were investigated. Moreover, in order to enhance its solubility in an alcohol solution, it was depolymerized using a photocatalytic reaction, and the photocatalytic degradation products (dSCSPs) with an average molecular weight of less than 2 kDa were studied and compared with SCSP. They were characterized by a series of chemical and spectroscopy methods and the oligosaccharide fragments in the dSCSP were further identified by HPLC-MSn analysis. Then, the in vivo experiment showed that the addition of SCSP or dSCSP to Baijiu could alleviate alcoholic liver injury in mice. Further analysis also revealed their protective effect in reducing oxidative stress damage and their regulation of the metabolism of phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) in the liver. Of note, dSCSP was more effective at reducing the level of malondialdehyde in the liver. These findings indicate that the addition of sea cucumber polysaccharide or its low-molecular-weight derivative in Baijiu has the potential to alleviate alcoholic liver injury.

Effects of Marine Natural Products on Liver Diseases

“…In vivo experiments showed that the addition of either SCSP or dSCSP to Baijiu could alleviate alcoholic liver injury in mice, and dSCSP was more effective at reducing liver MDA levels. Therefore, the addition of sea cucumber polysaccharides or their low-molecular-weight derivatives to white wine helps to reduce alcoholic liver injury [45].…”

“…Researchers identified a triphenyl derivative, CHNQD-00824 (44), from the marine fungus Aspergillus candidus, which was evaluated for cytotoxic activity against the HepG2 cell line and showed an IC50 value of 7.64 µM [114]. The marine-derived fungus Aspergillus candidus HM5-4, which was isolated from sponges in the South China Sea, was cultivated on solid rice medium, leading to the production of p-terphenyl derivatives-4″-deoxyterprenin (45). Notably, it exhibited cytotoxic effects against human liver cancer cells (BEL-7402), achieving an IC50 value of 6.69 µM, thereby demonstrating its potential as a promising anti-cancer agent [115].…”