Prof. Amany Abdel Rahman Abbass Mohammed Awadalla :: Publications:

I mmunostimulants are a category of the natural substances, which proved effective in controlling the disease in wide range of terrestrial animals and in the field of aquaculture. Plant mixed feed named MACH is a preparation made from four plants; namely, pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata) seeds, plantain (Plantago asiatica) seeds, honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) flowers, and safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) flowers was added to shrimp feed at concentration of 0.2%; shrimp were fed on this mixture for seven days. Immune-related gene expressions were measured on zero, one, three and seven days after start feeding. Prophenol oxidase, antilipopolysaccharide factor and lysozyme genes were studied. The results showed that the antilipopolysacchride factor gene (ALF) was highly expressed on the 3rd day from feeding and returned to its normal levels on the 7th day. Lysozyme gene expression reached its peak on the 3rd day after feeding and returned to its normal values on the 7th day. The Prophenol oxidase (proPO) gene expression showed gradient increase in its expression with the sharp increase on the 7th day after MACH feeding