Dietary Administration of Ethanol and Methanol Extracts of Withania somnifera Root Stimulates Innate Immunity, Physiological Parameters and Growth in Nile Tilapia Oreochromis niloticus

Abstract

Efficacy of ethanol and methanol extracts of medicinal herb Withania somnifera roots was evaluated in Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus on immunostimulation and growth. Withania roots were extracted with water, ethanol, methanol, methylene chloride, hexane, successive methanol. Phenol, flavonoid content and antiradical activity of all the extracts were measured. Ethanol extract showed the highest phenol, flavonoid content and antiradical activity followed by methanol extract. Subsequently, Nile tilapia (n = 126) were fed diets containing different concentrations (0.0, 0.3, 0.5 and 0.7 g kg−1 feed) of ethanol and methanol extracts of W. somnifera roots for 30 days (3 replicates). Fish fed plant extract fortified diets showed significantly better (P<0.05) immunological, haematological, biochemical and growth parameters compared to the fish fed control diet. Fish fed diet containing ethanol extract at the concentration of 0.7 g kg−1 feed showed the highest immunological (phagocytotic activity, respiratory burst activity, serum lysozyme, total protein, total immunoglobulin), haematological (total red blood cells, haemoglobin, hematocrit, total white blood cells, lymphocyte), biochemical (reduced glutathione, glutathione reductase activity) and growth (final weight, weight gain, daily weight gain, specific growth rate) parameters. The plant extract might act as potent free radical scavenger in fish tissues and have tissue protecting ability, thus increasing fish health.

Boswellia serrata Resin Extract in Diets of Nile Tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus: Effects on the Growth, Health, Immune Response, and Disease Resistance to Staphylococcus aureus

“…Considering that their results were obtained after 55 days of feeding on a supplemented diet, it may be explained as a physiological adaptation to the supplemented diet. The current study results coordinate with Mukherjee et al [55] who detected an elevation in the plasma levels of total protein and total immunoglobulin of Nile tilapia by dietary addition of W. somnifera root extracts.…”

“…Pratheepa and Sukumaran [79] demonstrated that the increased lysozyme activity could be because of increasing the blood neutrophils and monocytes of fish fed diet fortified with plant extract compared to that found in the control diet. The results of the present study are coordinated with Mukherjee et al [55] who reported an increase in the lysozyme activity in Nile tilapia fed on a diet fortified with W. somnifera root extract. Furthermore, myeloperoxidase (MPO) is a neutrophil released enzyme that is an essential constituent of protection against pathogens [80] and has a vital function for the innate immune response [81].…”

“…Gabriel et al [ 54 ] recorded a marked improvement in the weight gain and specific growth rate in GIFT (genetically improved farmed tilapia) tilapia fed on aloe vera. Mukherjee et al [ 55 ] stated enhanced growth and innate immunity of Nile tilapia by the dietary addition of Withania somnifera root extracts. However, higher levels of BSRE (10 and 15 g kg −1 ) did not affect the fish growth, which may be due to the hypolipidemic effect of BSRE bioactive compounds (boswellic acid and oleanolic acid), which observed in the fish body composition in the present study.…”

The use of plant extracts to control tilapia reproduction: Current status and future perspectives

“…Further, the hypothesized mechanisms of action necessitate comprehensive analysis either by searching for sex gene expression profiles at the transcriptomic level or changes in the sex steroid levels (Capel & Tanaka, 2013; Ross & Capel, 2005), to validate the specific role/s of plant extracts on the tilapia sex differentiation pathway. This would facilitate the designing of a standard utilization protocol including: extraction procedure for bioactive ingredients of interest, extraction solvents that result in highly purified concentrations, administration approaches, and subsequently optimal doses levels of plant extracts (Dhanani et al, 2017; Mukherjee, Ghosal, Moniruzzaman, De, & Chakraborty, 2019).…”

Mitigating Aeromonas hydrophila infection in Nile tilapia through dietary Basella alba and Withania somnifera supplementation: A bioassay‐guided fractionation approach

“…However, there is a growing concern about the application and misuse of antibiotics in the aquaculture industry, as they are transforming the bacteria into resistant variety by transferring resistant genes to the naïve bacteria, which are not exposed to antibiotics (Kraemer et al, 2019). Furthermore, the treatment of the fish with antibiotics gives rise to drug residues, besides having a negative impact on the environment (Mukherjee et al, 2019). Currently many laws and regulations have been implemented to eliminate/minimize the indiscriminate use of antibiotics in the livestock industry to stop the onset of bacterial resistance.…”