Caspian Journal of Veterinary Sciences

Caspian Journal of Veterinary Sciences

Dietary supplementation with Adiantum capillus-veneris and Ferula gummosa enhanced antioxidant status and innate immune responses in Rainbow trout (Onchorhynchus mykiss)

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Shalaleh Mousavi 1
Pouya Ebrahimi 2
Poulin Shohreh 3
1 Department of Food Hygiene and Aquatic Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran.
2 Department of Aquaculture, Babol Branch, Islamic Azad University, Babol, Iran.
3 Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Amol University of Special Modern Technologies, Amol, Iran.
10.22034/cjvs.2026.579622.1061
Abstract
This study investigated the effects of dietary supplementation with Adiantum capillus-veneris and Ferula gummosa and a mixture of them on antioxidant status and innate immune responses in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Fish with initial weight of 20.2 ± 0.01 g were fed experimental diets containing plant powders individually and in combination for 8 weeks. Results indicated significant improvements in antioxidant enzyme activities including superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx), No significant difference was seen in malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in treatments (p > 0.05). Innate immune indices namely lysozyme activity, complement activity (ACH50), as well as serum immunoglobulin M (IgM) were significantly enhanced, particularly in the combined treatment group (p ˂ 0.05). Administration a mixture of 0.5% A. capillus-veneris and 0.5% F. gummosa showed a synergistic effect between antioxidant-rich and immunostimulatory phytochemicals, highlighting their potential as natural alternatives to antibiotics in aquaculture.
Keywords
Adiantum capillus-veneris
Antioxidative status
Ferula gummosa
Immunity
Subjects
Abasubong, KP; Gabriel, NN and Adjoumani, JJY (2023). Ferulic acid as feed additives in aquaculture: A review on growth, immune response, and antioxidant status of finfish. Emerg. Sustain. Aqua. Innov. Africa, 251-272.
Ahmadpouri, J; Chahardahcharic, SV and Setorki, M. (2020). The effect of Adiantum Capillus- veneris L. hydroalcoholic extract on the oxidative stress rate of mice's blood and brain in the depression model caused by acute immobilization stress. Pharm. Biomed. Res., 6: 3803.
Akbar, S and Akbar, S (2020). Adiantum Venustum G. Don. / Adiantum Capillus veneris L. (Pteridaceae). In Handbook of 200 Medicinal Plants: A Comprehensive Review of Their Traditional Medical Uses and Scientific Justifications, Springer, PP: 103–107.
Armobin, K; Ahmadifar, E; Adineh, H; Samani, MN; Kalhor, N; Yilmaz, S; Hoseinifar, SH and Van Doan, H (2023). Quercetin application for common carp (Cyprinus carpio): I. Effects on growth performance, humoral immunity, antioxidant status, immune‐related genes, and resistance against heat stress. Aqu. Nutr., 1: 1168262.
Boghrati, Z and Iranshahi, M (2019). Ferula species: A rich source of antimicrobial compounds. J. Herbal Med., 16: 100244.
Boukada, F; Sitayeb, S; Khadem, H; Meddah, B and Soltani, FZ (2022). Chemical composition, antioxidant and antibacterial activity of Adiantum Capillus- Veneris L. extract from Algeria. Kragujevac J. Sci., 44: 4091.
Cappiello, F; Loffredo, MR and Del Plato, C (2020). The revaluation of plant- derived terpenes to fight antibiotic- resistant infections. Antibiotics, 9: 325.
Defoirdt, T; Sorgeloos, P and Bossier, P (2011). Alternatives to antibiotics for the control of bacterial disease in aquaculture. Curr. Opinion Microbiol., 14: 251-258.
Dehdari, S and Hajimehdipoor, H (2018). Medicinal properties of AdiantumCapillus- Veneris Linn. in traditional medicine and modern phytotherapy: A review article. Iran. J. Public Health, 47: 188–197.
Ellis, AE (1990). Lysozyme assays. Techniq. Fish Immunol., 1: 101-103.
Haghighi, M and Rohani, MS (2013). The effects of powdered ginger (Zingiber officinale) on the haematological and immunological parameters of rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss. J. Med. Plant Herbal Ther. Res., 1: 8-12.
Harikrishnan, R; Kim, MC; Kim, JS; Balasundaram, C and Heo, MS (2011). Protective effect of herbal and probiotics enriched diet on haematological and immunity status of Oplegnathus fasciatus (Temminck & Schlegel) against Edwardsiella tarda. Fish Shellfish Immunol., 30: 886-893.
Iranshahy, M and Iranshahi, M (2011). Traditional uses, phytochemistry and pharmacology of asafoetida (Ferula assa-foetida oleo-gum-resin)-A review. J. Ethnopharmacol., 134: 1-10.
Jiang, MZ; Yan, H; Wen, Y and Li, XM (2011). In vitro and In vivo studies of antioxidant activities of flavonoids from Adiantum capillus- veneris L. African J. Pharm. Pharmacol., 5: 2079–2085.
Kanwal, Q; Qadir, A and Munir, B (2018). Healing potential of Adiantum capillus-veneris L. plant extracton bisphenol A-induced hepatic toxicity in male albino rats. Environ. Sci. Pollution Res., 25: 11884-11892.
Larsson, DG and Flach, CF (2022). Antibiotic resistance in the environment. Nature Rev. Microbiol., 20: 257-269.
Dawood, MAO; Koshio, S and Esteban, MA (2018). Beneficial roles of feed additives as immunostimulants in aquaculture: a review. Rev. Aqua., 10: 950-974.
Qadir, SA; Awlqadr, FH; Qadir, MH; Qadir, AM; Faraj, AM; Salih, SA and Hosseini, SMN (2025). Adiantum capillus‐veneris: A comprehensive review of its medicinal properties, bioactive compounds, and advanced extraction techniques. Food Sci. Nutr., 13: e71118.
Reverter, M; Tapissier‐Bontemps, N; Sasal, P and Saulnier, D (2017). Use of medicinal plants in aquaculture. Diagnosis and control of diseases of fish and shellfish, 223-261.
Sakai, M (1999). Current research status of fish immunostimulants. Aqua., 172: 63-92.
Schwartz, M (2012). Adiantum Capillus- Veneris L.: ethnobotany, etymology, and Iranian cultural history. Bull. Asia Institute, 26: 97–101.
Vaseeharan, B and Thaya, R (2014). Medicinal plant derivatives as immunostimulants: an alternative to chemotherapeutics and antibiotics in aquaculture. Aqua. Int., 22: 1079-1091.
Vidhya Hindu, S; Chandrasekaran, N; Mukherjee, A and Thomas, J (2019). A review on the impact of seaweed polysaccharide on the growth of probiotic bacteria and its application in aquaculture. Aqua. Int., 27: 227-238.
Zhang, L; Zhang, P; Xia, C; Cheng, Y; Guo, X and Li, Y (2020).Effects of malic acid and citric acid on growth performance, antioxidant capacity, haematology and immune response of Carassius auratus gibelio. Aqua. Res., 51: 2766-2776.
Caspian Journal of Veterinary Sciences
Volume 3, Issue 1
June 2026
Pages 59-64

  • Receive Date 01 May 2026
  • Accept Date 11 May 2026