Brine shrimp lethality test
The toxicity of compound was tested at various concentrations viz. 10, 100, 250, 500, 750 and 1000 μg/mL in seawater containing 2% DMSO (v/v). Ten nauplii were used in each test. Three replications were used for each concentration. A parallel series of tests with the standard potassium dichromate solution (LC50 = 20-40 μg) were tested and the blank control was always included. After 24 h, survivors were counted using a dissection microscope and the percentage of the mortality (%M) of each dose was calculated as compared with control. Cytotoxicity was considered significant if the LC50-value was less than 20-30 μg/mL (15).