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

Description: The rich plant diversity of developing countries in globalization era is a reservoir of unexplored sources of drugs and aromatic plants. 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.