Use of plant extracts in fish aquaculture as an alternative to chemotherapy: Current status and future perspectives

• Published in: Aquaculture Vol. 433; pp. 50 - 61
• Main Authors: Reverter, M., Bontemps, N., Lecchini, D., Banaigs, B., Sasal, P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 20-09-2014; Elsevier; Elsevier Sequoia S.A
• Subjects: Agnatha. Pisces; Animal aquaculture; Animal productions; Aquaculture; Biological and medical sciences; Chemotherapy; Disease resistance; Fish; Fish aquaculture; Flowers & plants; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; Immunostimulant; Natural products; Pisciculture; Plant extracts; Shellfish; Vertebrate aquaculture; Vertebrates: general zoology, morphology, phylogeny, systematics, cytogenetics, geographical distribution; Disease resistance; Immunostimulant; Natural products; Plant extracts; Fish aquaculture; Status; Disease; Natural product; Vertebrata; Chemotherapy; Perspective; Treatment; Sensitivity resistance; Pisces; Pisciculture; Aquaculture
• ISSN: 0044-8486; 1873-5622
• DOI: 10.1016/j.aquaculture.2014.05.048

Aquaculture is the main source to increase fish supply. Fast development of aquaculture and increasing fish demand lead to intensification of fish culture, magnifying stressors for fish and thus heightening the risk of disease. Until now, chemotherapy has been widely used to prevent and treat disease outbreaks, although use of chemical drugs has multiple negative impacts on environment and human health e.g. resistant bacterial strains and residual accumulation in tissue. Hence, disease management in aquaculture should concentrate on environmentally friendly and lasting methods. Recently, increasing attention is being paid to the use of plant products for disease control in aquaculture as an alternative to chemical treatments. Plant products have been reported to stimulate appetite and promote weight gain, to act as immunostimulant and to have antibacterial and anti-parasitic (virus, protozoans, monogeneans) properties in fish and shellfish aquaculture due to active molecules such as alkaloids, terpenoids, saponins and flavonoids. However, as it is a relatively emerging practice there is still little knowledge on the long-term effects of plant extracts on fish physiology as well as a lack of homogenization in the extract preparation and fish administration of the plant extracts. This article aims to review the studies carried out on the use of plant products on fish aquaculture and their biological effects on fish such as growth promoter, immunostimulant, antibacterial and anti-parasitic. It also intends to evaluate the current state of the art, the methods used and the problems encountered in their application to the aquaculture industry.
•Disease management in aquaculture needs of more environmentally friendly methods.•There is an increasing use of plant extracts in aquaculture for disease control.•Use of plant extracts in aquaculture needs normalization to assure their efficacy.•Algae natural products present a huge potential in aquaculture disease treatment.