Effects of different levels of Withania coagulans water extract on growth performance, biochemical activity of blood enzymes, hematological and non-specific immunity parameters of Cyprinus carpio

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of different levels of withania coagulans water extract (0, 250, 500, and 1000 mg/kg diet, in 3 repetitions) on growth, liver enzymes activity, blood parameters including WBC, RBC, Hct, Hb and non-specific immunity parameters (IgM and lysozyme) of common carp. The fish were fed for 8 weeks. The results showed that growth performance in treatments containing the extract increased significantly compared to the fish in the control (p<0.05). The activity of hepatic enzymes (ALT, AST, ALP, and LDH) showed a significant difference in fish-fed extract in comparison to control. The highest and lowest values were in the control treatment and 1000 mg/kg of the extract, respectively. There was no significant difference between white blood cells (p>0.05). The extract effect on red blood cells, lysozyme, IgM, hematocrit, MCV, MCHC, and hemoglobin in the 1000 mg/kg group showed significant differences with other groups (p<0.05). The percentage of neutrophils in all treatments was significantly higher than in the control group (p<0.05). According to the results, the addition of withania coagulans extract to the diet can improve blood indicators, immunity index, and growth parameters of common carp fingerlings.