Author(s): Shyam Narayan Labh, Shubha Ratna Shakya, Sanjay Kumar Gupta, Neeraj Kumar and Babia Labh Kayastha

Abstract: Lapsi fruit (a native from Nepal) is opulent source of essential amino acids, minerals and ascorbic acid and is commonly used for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases in Vietnam, Mongolia and China etc. The phytochemical constituents of lapsi fruit extracts (LFE) are phenol and flavonoid compounds which exhibit potent antioxidant activity to scavenge various free radicals and thus protect from toxic and harmful. A total of 252 fingerlings of O. niloticus (average weight 3.84 ± 0.17 g) were randomly distributed in four treatment groups TI (Basal feed + 0% LFE) control, T2 (Basal feed + 0.1% LFE), T3 (Basal feed + 0.2% LFE) and T4 (Basal feed + 0.4% LFE) each in triplicate form. After 60 days of feeding trail highest (p<0.05) weight gain% (273.03%), protein efficiency ratio (1.82) and specific growth rate (2.19) and lowest feed conversion ratio (1.43) in the T3 group fed fish were recorded. Lowest (p<0.05) alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase activity was found in the T3 group in both liver and muscle. Incorporation of 0.2% LFE in the feed increased the gill superoxide dismutase activity by 3-fold compared to control group (T1). Highest (p<0.05) respiratory burst activity (0.36), albumin (1.21) and globulin (3.48) contents were observed in the T3 group. When challenged with A. hydrophila after 60 days, maximum relative % of survival was noticed in T3 (83.34%) group. Overall, results indicated improvement in the growth, heamato-immunological responses and protected the animals against Aeromonas hydrophila infection at 0.2% LFE incorporation in O. niloticus while higher dose of LFE incorporation led to stress and immunosuppression.

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