Dietary supplementation of Asian pennywort (Centella asiatica) powder meal in genetically improved farmed tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus): Effect on growth, haematobiochemical attributes, gene expression profiling, and stress indices

Centella asiatica is a perennial medicinal herb possessing growth promoting and multiple pharmaceutical attributes. The present study investigated to determine the inclusion effects of C. asiatica on growth, haematobiochemical parameters, blood cell morphology, and expression of growth, immune, and antioxidant genes in Oreochromis niloticus . Quadruplicate groups of healthy fingerlings (40 fish/replicate) were fed at a level of 0, 5, 10, and 20 g/kg C. asiatica supplementation, and referred to as control, T1, T2, and T3, respectively. The results demonstrated a notable improvement in growth, feed utilization, biometric indices, and haematological parameters in the T1 group compared to control. Inclusion of C. asiatica at 5 g/kg in the diet showed significantly higher levels of all examined serum biochemical indices. Levels of hepatic enzymes and stress biomarkers were reduced significantly in fish fed with 5 g/kg than in other tested diets. Group fed with 5 g/kg in diet exhibited a notable upregulation of growth, antioxidant, immune, and down regulation of stress biomarker mRNA transcript under both before and after starvation condition. Higher inclusion of C. asiatica displayed the highest frequencies of erythrocytes cellular and nuclear abnormalities (ECA and ENA). In conclusion, supplementation with 5 g/kg of C. asiatica in diet enhanced growth attributes, immune-physiological response as well as alleviated starvation stress, underscoring its potential as a growth booster and anti-stress phytoadditive in aquaculture. • C. asiatica at 5 g kg -1 inclusion in diet showed a significant improvement of growth attributes • Haematobiochemical parameter was modulated after the inclusion of C. asiatica in basal diet • Inclusion of 5g kg -1 significantly reduced hepatic transaminase and stress biomarkers level • Modulation of gene expression profile were observed at both normal and starvation condition • Higher inclusion of C. asiatica (20 g kg -1 )displayed the highest frequencies ECA and ENA