Puerarin Promotes Overall Health Through Blood Flow and Immune Response within Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) Fingerlings

An 8-week study was performed to determine the effects of supplementing puerarin, the most biologically active ingredient present in the roots of kudzu (Puerarin lobata), in diets of farmed chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) fingerlings. Puerarin was given to study fish through supplementation to commercial fish feed. Administration of puerarin reduced cortisol, proteins, and hematocrit levels while improving spleen somatic indices and respiratory burst response compared to fish fed a control diet without affecting growth, and thereby counteracts the negative consequences of stress induced through handling and experienced by fish reared in aquaculture.