Assessment of the immunomodulatory effect of commercially available green barley extract on juvenile Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus Linn.) assessed in vivo

Anna Danica  C. Tameta,

Assessment of the immunomodulatory effect of commercially available green barley extract on juvenile Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus Linn.) assessed in vivo

Abstract:

Aquaculture is an in-demand industry that constantly needs to maintain and sustain animals to meet the production demand. Although there are antibiotics available to possibly increase the health status particularly in fish, the use of plant extracts as dietary additive or supplements may be used as a cost effective and probably cheaper way of maintaining fish health. In this study, the possible effect of commercially available green barley as a supplement on the immune system of Nile tilapia was assessed by quantitative melano-macrophage center analysis. Results show that there is a significant decrease in the area occupied by MMC upon addition of 500mg green barley extract on fish feeds compared to the control (p=0.013). The results suggest that green barley extract at 500mg dose may have immunomodulatory capacity and may be used to increase health in Nile tilapia juveniles.