A mini-review: Potential of Phyllanthus niruri L as immunostimulators in fish aquaculture

Abstract

Disease is the main factor causing crop failure in fish farming activities, which results in decreased production and of course is very detrimental economically for farmers. Therefore, it is necessary to control the disease with the right steps to avoid large losses. Preventive action is the right step, because it can be done as early as possible before the fish contract the disease, which of course costs less than treatment. One of the efforts to prevent disease is to increase the immune system of fish. Immunostimulants are compounds that can be used as an alternative therapy to increase the body's resistance to pathogen infections, because they can increase the work of the immune system through the activity of white blood cells and other phagocytic cells. Several research results have proven the effectiveness of various types of plants as immunostimulants, one of which is Phyllanthus niruri L. Several secondary metabolite compounds and filantin as specific compounds contained in P niruri, apart from having antibacterial and antioxidant effects, also function as immunostimulants. So the purpose of this article is to explain the potential of P. niruri L. as an immunostimulant in cultivated fish which can increase the body's resistance to disease. Based on the above studies, P. niruri L. can increase non-specific and specific fish body resistance, so it has the potential to be used as an alternative immunostimulant that can prevent several types of cultivated fish such as Oreochromis mossambicus and Cyprinus carpio L. fish from attack by pathogenic bacteria, including Aeromonas hydrophila.