New strategies for drug discovery in tropical forests based on ethnobotanical and chemical ecological studies

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Hypotheses from ethnobotany and chemical ecology can increase our ability to predict the pharmaceutical potential of tropical flora. In order to illustrate how bioprospecting studies can benefit from the incorporation of these hypotheses, especially in tropical dry forests, we discuss evidence from ethnobotanical studies that examine hypotheses about the ecology of plant defense against herbivory. Materials and methods: We focus on two hypotheses regarding defense patterns in plants-the plant apparency hypothesis and the resource availability hypothesis-and analyze how these can help us understand the use of medicinal plants by traditional communities. Results: The evidence suggests that medicinal plants in the dry forest are a rich source of drugs in which phenolic compounds, especially tannins, are directly responsible for the therapeutic activity. Phenolic compounds and their potential therapeutic activity are likely good candidates for bioprospecting efforts. Conclusion: We believe that following strategies to link ethnobotanical and chemical ecological approaches will increase the efficiency of bioprospecting studies in tropical forests. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.