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Ginsenosides in Shen Quan baijiu (SQJ) with fermented ginseng were identified by ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap MS). Their pharmacokinetic behavior in rats and effects on zebrafish liver were investigated, and their anti-alcoholic and liver-protecting ingredients in SQJ were further explored. Twenty rats were randomly divided into five groups and administered with different samples. Serum samples were collected at different time points within 48 h, and the ethanol content in the rat serum was detected by gas chromatography (GC). The ginsenosides of SQJ and commercial ginseng baijiu were identified by UHPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap MS to explore their differential components. An alcoholic liver disease (ALD) zebrafish model was established for the detection of malondialdehyde (MDA) content and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities. For the rat model, ethanol was not detected in the serum of the SQJ group at the 3rd h. In addition, the half-life of alcohol metabolism and the time to reach the maximum ethanol concentration in serum were both short. For the zebrafish model, the active ingredients in SQJ significantly enhanced the GSH-PX and SOD activities and reduced the MDA production in the liver. MS results revealed that the most abundant component of SQJ was ginsenoside Rg5/Rk1. Compared with those in commercial ginseng baijiu, the types of ginsenoside compound and the content of rare ginsenosides in SQJ increased significantly, especially ginsenoside Rg5/Rk1. This work was the first to use two biological models, rat and zebrafish. The findings serve as a basis for elucidating the protective mechanism of fermented ginseng components against ALD.

Organisms such as Apostichopus japonicusare a group of marine invertebrates that produce a variety of alkaloids with bioactivities. Many of these alkaloids have been proven effective as anticancer drugs. In this study, the anticancer activities of 6-bromohypaphorine (6-BHP) isolated from red sea cucumber, A. japonicus, was investigated. The anticancer effects of 6-BHP against tumor cell lines A549, HT-29, B16F10, MCF-7, and Hep3B were evaluated. The structure of 6-BHP was determined by mass spectroscopy (MS), as well as nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR). In the bioactivity assay, 6-BHP attenuated survival rate of A549 cell line with an IC50value of (197.1 ± 7.4) μmol/L. As to the five cancer cell lines, 6-BHP showed the strongest anticancer activity against A549. Staining with acridine orange-ethidium bromide and Hoechst 33342 indicated that 6-BHP treatment mediated apoptotic body formation. In addition, 6-BHP down-regulated B-cell lymphoma-extra large (Bcl-xL), while up-regulating both Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax), and caspase-3 in a dose- and time-dependent manner. We suggest that 6-BHP induces apoptosis via the mitochondria-mediated pathway. This is the first report on the isolation of 6-BHP from A. japonicus.