THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS OF INVERTEBRATES: FUTURE OF AQUACULTURE

Invertebrates have been known for their roles as delicacy. But in recent time, they are increasingly getting importance for their roles in the ecology, research, and marine pharmaceuticals. As they are getting importance, many farmers are now trying to cultivate them in land-based aquaculture systems. In our experiments, we therefore wanted to investigate if invertebrates, such as sea cucumbers, have any roles in improving vertebrate immune response. We have seen from our experiments that sea cucumbers have immunostimulatory effects in vertebrates via induction of spleen cell proliferation and stimulation of macrophage functions.