IN-VITRO ANALYSES OF LYMPHOCYTE PROLIFERATION EXTRACTED FROM SPLEEN AND THYMUS OF NILE TILAPIA USING NATURAL ELDERBERRY

In aquaculture, fish can be chronically stressed by various biological, chemical and physical factors. Chronic stress leads to a decrease in the overall health and growth of fish, making them more prone to diseases. To enhance the immune response of fish, more specifically tilapia, a potential immune booster elderberry extract was used to proliferate lymphocytes, extracted from spleen and thymus in-vitro along with mutagens Concavaline-A and Lipopolysaccharide, and to increase the production of lymphokine, interleukin-2 (IL-2). IL-2 was measured using Anti-IL-2-antibody with Enzyme Linked Immune Sorbent Assay. From the preliminary data, it is apparent that elderberry extract can enhance the proliferation of both B and T lymphocytes as well as IL-2 from T-Helper lymphocytes, in-vitro.  Experiments are being conducted to investigate if elderberry can do the same in-vivo.