Caenorhabditis elegans in Chinese medicinal studies: making the case for aging and neurodegeneration

Aging is a progressive process with degenerative changes of various tissues and organs. As a classic model organism in genetics and neurobiology, Caenorhabditis elegans is also a powerful system in aging and behavioral studies and can be used at both the molecular and organismal levels to evaluate potential therapeutics for age-related neurodegeneration, owing to its short life span, relative simplicity, and high degree of experimental tractability as well as significant conservation of disease genes and signaling pathways with humans. We attempt here to summarize the use of C. elegans models in exploring traditional Chinese medicine for potential remedies against aging and neurodegeneration.