The free-living non-parasitic nematode Caenorhabditis elegans as an alternative model in biomedical research
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Abstract
Caenorhabditis elegans is a nematode that is known as an alternative model for research. Adult forms are about 1mm long, while larvae reach a length of 0.25 mm. This nematode is easily grown in laboratories in a special nematode growth medium (NGM) with a layer of the bacterium Escherichia coli, on which C. elegans feeds. The worms exist in two natural sexes. C. elegans is one of the most frequently used experimental model organisms in biomedicine. The main advantages of C. elegans as a model organism are its small size, high reproductive capacity, simple cultivation, low maintenance costs, the possibility of long preservation at low temperatures, very short reproductive time and good visibility. C. elegans has been used for analysis of toxicants, investigation of cancer, discovery of antiparasitics and anticancer drugs, and investigation of the functions of the neuromuscular system. The C. elegans model is successful for identifying and characterizing molecular drug targets of all classes of anthelmintics acting on the nervous system. All these characteristics make C. elegans a valuable and prospective model organism in biomedical research. This review article primarily focuses on the utility of C. elegans as a model organism in the evaluation of anthelmintic substances, with particular emphasis on essential oils and natural products, while briefly highlighting its general biomedical applications. The main goal of this paper is to demonstrate our application of this model in some antinematodal research.
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