The use of medicinal plants as immunostimulants in aquaculture: A review
Highlights
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- The sources of medicinal plants
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- Chemicals used to extract the compounds
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- Application methods
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- Mechanisms/Mode of actions
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- Suggestions for further investigations
Abstract
Medicinal
plants have been known as immunostimulants for thousands of years. The
application of medicinal plants as natural and innocuous compounds has
potential in aquaculture as an alternative to antibiotics and
immunoprophylactics. The growing interest in these plants has increased
world-wide because they are easy to prepare, cheap, and have few side
effects on animals and the environment. A wide range of medicinal plants
such as herbs, spices, seaweeds, herbal medicines, herbal extracted
compounds, traditional Chinese medicines, and commercial plant-derived
products has been studied in various aquatic animals. The whole plant or
its parts viz. roots, leaves, seeds, flowers or extract compounds can
be used. The extraction process is simple, with ethanol and methanol
being commonly used. Various chemicals used to extract compounds may
lead to different degrees of effects on aquatic animals. Application
methods can be either single or in combination, or even in a mixture
with other immunostimulants, via water routine or feed additives and
enrichment, where single administrations are as practical as
combinations. The dosages and duration of time varies and the optimal
levels have not been considered. Medicinal plants show their main
properties as growth promoters, immune enhancers, where they act as
antibacterial and antiviral agents to the host immune system.
Unfortunately, the mechanisms are not fully understood. Therefore, most
authors did not recommend that their results be used directly, while
suggestions are proposed for further investigations.
Keywords
- medicinal plant;
- herbs;
- symbiotic;
- antibiotic;
- immunostimulants
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