A Quarter Century of Pharmacognostic Research on Panamanian Flora: A Review

Abstract

Introduction !Medicinal plants remain an endless source of new drugs, new drug leads, and new chemical entities (NCEs) [1]. In developing countries, medicinal plants have been the most accessible source of medicaments and in rural areas, traditional medicine is part of the first line of treatment for common pathologies [2]. The geographical characteristics of the Isthmus of Panama are responsible for its highly diverse flora and fauna. This diversity promotes the use of plants in traditional medicine by the Amerindian groups and the rural population, which have limited access to modern drugs. Panama is a unique terrestrial bridge of great biological importance. Panamanian flora is one of the richest in the world with an estimate of 9893 different species of vascular plants, of which 1327 (13.4 %) are endemic [3]. There is a large number of nonvascular species but they have not been investigated fully. Panama has over 687 species of ferns and about 1000 species of orchids, of which 50 % are endemic. Epiphytes, lianas, and climbers are a major component of the Panamanian tropical forest. Mosses abound in moist cloud forests as well as other parts of the country. Panama is considered one of the botanical "hot spot" countries and occupies the fourth place in the world in number of vascular species [4]. The number of species per 10 000 km 2 ranks even much higher than in bigger countries like India, China, and the United States [5]. Evidence of the biomedical potential of herbal drugs used in Panamanian traditional medicine is continually being reported. Panamanian plants have been evaluated for their biological activities on a diverse range of disease targets. They have been studied inter alia as cytotoxic to cancer cell lines, antimalarial, antileishmanial, antimicrobial, antiviral, larvicidal, antioxidant, immunosupressive, acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, and antihypertensive agents [6][7][8][9][10]. Research on the highly diverse Panamanian flora proposes new economical and medicinal ventures attractive to the pharmaceutical industry. In the National Science Strategic Plan 2010-2014, a very high priority has been assigned to the study and utilization of Panamanian biodiversity as a source Supporting information available at

Antioxidant and anti-dermatophytic properties leaf and stem bark of Xylosma longifolium clos

“…Medicinal substances from plant species of genus Xylosma exhibit antispasmodic, narcotic, and sedative [18] and against spider bites [19]. Methanol leaf, stem and root of X. terrae-reginae show antioxidant activity (IC 50 ) from 10, 9.7 and 10.5 μg/ml respectively [20].…”

Toxicity of Oleoresins from the Genus Copaifera in Trypanosoma cruzi: A Comparative Study

“…The present study evaluated the activity of oleoresins derived from different species of the genus Copaifera, which is abundant in the Amazon region, against an endemic disease. Most of the compounds found in Copaifera oleoresins can also be found in many other plant species belonging to different plant families [16]. All of the copaiba oleoresins generally exhibited activity against various T. cruzi life stages, especially against the replicative forms.…”

Panamanian biodiversity: a valuable source of novel lead compounds of economic and medical potential

“…Despite the intensive investigation of terrestrial flora, it is estimated that only 6% of the approximately 300,000 species (some estimates are as high as 500,000 species) of higher plants have been systematically investigated pharmacologically, and only some 15% phytochemically. 1 The endophytic microorganisms that reside between living plant cells have received little attention. Historically, natural products have provided an endless source of medicines, and despite reduced funding for natural products-based drug discovery, natural products remain an undiminished source of new pharmaceuticals.…”