Effect of traditional Korean medicinal (TKM) triherbal extract on the innate immune system and disease resistance in Paralichthys olivaceus against Uronema marinum

We report the effect of aqueous-, ethanol- and methanol-solvent-derived extracts of three traditional Korean herbs, Punica granatum, Chrysanthemum cinerariaefolium and Zanthoxylum schinifolium, by monitoring the innate immune mechanisms, such as phagocytosis activity, respiratory burst activity, alternative complement activity and lysozyme activity and the functional immunity in terms of percentage mortality and relative percent survival (RPS) in olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) against Uronema marinum (1 × 105 ciliates ml−1) for 30 days. Fish were intraperitoneally administered with 5, 50 and 100 mg kg−1 body weight of each traditional Korean medicinal (TKM) solvent extract except the control and infected untreated groups. In all the treated groups at concentrations of 50 and 100 mg kg−1 body weight, the chosen innate immune parameters were found significantly enhanced when compared to 0 mg kg−1 dose. However, at 5 mg kg−1 the tested immune parameters did not vary. Administration of TKM solvent extracts preceding the challenge with U. marinum for 30 days significantly reduced the percentage mortality with the consequent increase in RPS. Administration of 50 and 100 mg kg−1 TKM solvent extracts clearly enhanced the innate immune responses and disease resistance in P. olivaceus against U. marinum.