Figure 1: Index of Toxicity (IT) calculated taking geometric mean of the EC50/LC50 values for different endpoints measured for each type of organically-coated gold nanoparticles (AuNP) against the three common species used in ecotoxicity. Lower IT score denotes higher toxicity and vice-versa. Hypothetical data showing Daphnia magna (water flea) as the most sensitive species while Cucumis sativus (cucumber) as the least sensitive species amongst the three ecological species tested for AuNP toxicity. Organic coating materials: CA, citric acid; GA, gum Arabic; and OA, oleic acid.