The Use of Active Compound in the Methanol Extract of Alstonia Acuminata for the Improvement of Non-Specific Immune System in Tiger Grouper (Epinephelus Fuscoguttatus)

Abstract

Tiger grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus) was very susceptible to the poor environment and therefore, weak against infection. A solution to this problem was by using immune response of fish body. The objective of research was to understand the ability Alstonia acuminata in improving immune system for the control of Vibrio harveyi disease and to acknowledge the effective dose to increase the survival rate of grouper. Parameters that were observed included macrophage, phagocytosis activity, leukocyte total, and grouper survival rate in the observation at day-1, day-3, day-5, and day-7. Result of research indicated that macrophage cells were increased at day-1 to day-5, but decreased at day-7. The dose of 200 ppm had the highest macrophage at day-5, precisely 15.5 x 10⁵ cells/mL, and then, it decreased at day-7 to 15.2 x 10⁵ cells/mL. The highest increase of phagocytosis was found at day-5 for 73.67%, and observed in the dose of 200 ppm, but it decreased at day-7 for 71%. The control fish had lowest means of leukocyte, precisely ranging from 24,433 cells/mL to 25,283 cells/mL. The highest leukocyte was obtained at day-5, precisely 72,666 cells/mL. Result of research concluded that A. acuminata extract could increase the non-specific immune system (number of macrophage cell, phagocytosis activity, and leukocyte) against V. harveyi bacteria. The highest survival rate was 94.4 %, which was obtained from dose 200 ppm.