Ado K, Garba S and Salihu L
Aim: To apply the Brine Shrimp Lethality Test (BST) procedure on locally available Fundulopanchax gadneri killifish with a view to achieving the same result.
Study design: Extraction of crude extracts from plants, evaluation of the bioactivity of the extracts using brine shrimp and Fundulopanchax gadneri killifish. Statistical analysis of the results obtained.
Place and duration of the study: Sample: Afaka, Kaduna north local government, Kaduna State, Nigeria. Department of Chemistry, Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna. Nigeria, between June 2011 and August 2013.
Methodology: Batch method of extraction, brine shrimp lethality test as adopted by Meyer et al., 1982 using brine shrimp and Fundulopanchax gadneri killifish.
Results: The results of the brine shrimp and Fundulopanchax gadneri killifish bioassay indicate that eleven out of the thirteen medicinal plants screened for bioactivity were active. Statistical analysis of the results showed a correlation coefficient of 0.970, 0.99 and 0.96 respectively for both BST and FGT suggesting that there is a positive correlation between the two variables.
Conclusion: The results are in consonance suggesting that Fundulopanchax gadneri killifish test can be used as a preliminary method of assessing the cytotoxicity of natural products.