Caenorhabditis elegans: an elegant model organism for evaluating the neuroprotective and neurotherapeutic potential of nutraceuticals

The use of dietary supplements, herbal extracts, and nutraceuticals, of both dietary and nondietary origin, has increased tremendously in the past few decades. As with other chemicals, it is critical to evaluate both their therapeutic potential and safety. Nutraceuticals have been and are continuing to be investigated for their neuroprotective and neurotherapeutic potential, particularly in the context of neurodegenerative diseases. In this chapter, the usefulness of the nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans , as an in vivo, rapid, high-throughput, cost-effective, and efficient model to screen nutraceuticals for their neuroprotective properties is reviewed. The suitability and usefulness of the nematode in molecule-screening studies, with emphasis on the nervous system and transgenic models, is highlighted. Studies utilizing this model, which screened nutraceuticals to evaluate their neuroprotective and neurotherapeutic potential in aging, neurotoxicity, neurodegeneration, and prominent neurodegenerative diseases are reviewed. Strategies to increase the effective use of this model are also discussed.