Assay to Access Anthelmintic Activity of Small Molecule Drugs Using Caenohabidtis elegans as a Model.

This protocol proposes to use the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans as a model to screen and study the anthelmintic activity of natural and synthetic compounds and to observe their effects on the morphology and the ultrastructure of the helminths. Furthermore, C. elegans can be used to investigate the anthelmintic activity in embryonated eggs, larval stages and in the adults' survival. As most current anthelmintics are not effective against all nematode life stages, this protocol can contribute to the identification of new alternatives to helminthic infections (Sant' Anna et al., 2016 ).