~ 357 ~ International Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Studies 2016; 4(6): 357-363 ISSN: 2347-5129 (ICV-Poland) Impact Value: 5.62 (GIF) Impact Factor: 0.549 IJFAS 2016; 4(6): 357-363 © 2016 IJFAS www.fisheriesjournal.com Received: 20-09-2016 Accepted: 21-10-2016 ML Ojha Aquaculture Division, Central Institute of Fisheries Education, Mumbai, India NK Chadha Aquaculture Division, Central Institute of Fisheries Education, Mumbai, India VP Saini Aquaculture Research Unit, Directorate of Research, MPUAT, Udaipur, Rajasthan, India S Damroy Director, Central Agriculture Research Institute, Portblair, Andman and Nicobar Island, India Chandraprakash Aquaculture Division, Central Institute of Fisheries Education, Mumbai, India PB Sawant Aquaculture Division, Central Institute of Fisheries Education, Mumbai, India Correspondence ML Ojha Aquaculture Division, Central Institute of Fisheries Education, Mumbai, India Growth, Metabolism and Haematological parameters of Labeo rohita (Hamilton, 1822) fingerlings fed with herbal supplemented diet ML Ojha, NK Chadha, VP Saini, S Damroy, Chandraprakash and PB Sawant Abstract The effect of herb supplemented diet on growth, metabolism and Haemato-immunological parameters of an Indian Major Carp, Labeo rohita fingerlings was studied. Fishes were fed with a diet containing four graded levels (0.0, 0.06, 0.08 and 0.1 g/100g diet) of herbal combination of Mucuna pruriens and Pedalium murex (1:1). The supplemented diet significantly (p<0.05) improved the growth, specific growth rate (SGR) and food conversion ratio (FCR) as compared to control. Still the highest weight gain and specific growth rate (SGR) were recorded with 0.06g per 100g herbal supplemented diet. The increase in digestive enzymes like protease, amylase and lipase supported the results of increased growth at treatment level 0.06g/100. The levels of metabolic enzymes (i.e. LDH and MDH) in lever and muscles were significantly (p<0.05) decreased in treatments as compared to control. However, the enzymes of protein metabolism were significantly (p<0.05) increased in comparison to control. Similarly haematological parameters such as packed cell volume (PCV), haemoglobin content (Hb) and erythrocytes (RBC) were significantly (p<0.05) different in treatments and control. A significant (p<0.05) proliferation of the leukocytes (WBC) was recorded in herbal supplemented diet. The results of this study proved a significant role of herbal combination of Mucuna pruriens and Pedalium murex on growth, metabolism and immune defence mechanism of Labeo rohita fingerlings. Keywords: Mucuna pruriens, pedalium murex, herbal combination, metabolism, haemato-immunology, Labeo Rohita Introduction Herbal preparations have been widely used in veterinary and human medicine as they are not only safe for consumers but also widely available throughout Asia. Traditionally, in India, the seeds of Mucuna pruriens are used as a tonic and aphrodisiac for male virility. The pods are reported to be anthelmintic and seeds anti-inflammatory. The seed powder has recently been found to show the anti-Parkinsonism effects which are probably due to the presence of L- DOPA [1] . It is well known that dopamine is the brain neurotransmitter. The dopamine content in the brain tissue gets reduced because of its blockade of crossing over the blood brain barrier to reach the site of action. As L-DOPA is the precursor of dopamine, it crosses the barrier and gets converted into dopamine resuming the neurotransmission [2] . Considering this biological action, the isolation of several fatty acids, amino acids and L-DOPA from M. pruriens was initiated [3] . Pedalium murex (Gokshura) is a rich source of flavonoids, sapogenin, sterol and soluble proteins [4] . In Indian Ayurvedic medicine system, gokshura is mainly used as analgesic and antipyretic drug [5, 6] . Pharmacologically, the gokshura plant has been investigated for antiulcerogenic, nephroprotective, hypolipidemic, aphrodisiac, antimicrobial and insecticidal properties [9-12] . The importance of herbal medicines in aquaculture has been advocated by Siddhuraju and Manian [13-15] . Effect of Mucuna M. pruriens on Labeo rohita fingerlings have been studded by Ojha et al [16, 17] , and enhanced growth rate, immunity, metabolism of the experimental fish was reported. Similar results had also been observed in L. rohita feed on ethanolic extract of Pedalium murex [18, 19] . Considering the scientific and biological importance of both these herbs, the present study was designed to evaluate the effects of herbal combination of