NeoTropico Medicinal Plants Consultants, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Phytother Res. 2010 Jun;24(6):791-9. doi: 10.1002/ptr.3114.
Despite the advent of biotechnology and modern methods of combinatorial chemistry and rational drug design, nature still plays a surprisingly important role as a source of new pharmaceutical compounds. These are marketed either as herbal drugs or as single active ingredients. South American tropical ecosystems (or the Neotropics) encompass one-third of the botanical biodiversity of the planet. For centuries, indigenous peoples have been using plants for healing purposes, and scientists are making considerable efforts in order to validate these uses from a pharmacological/phytochemical point of view. However, and despite the unique plant diversity in the region, very few natural pharmaceutical ingredients from this part of the world have reached the markets in industrialized countries. The present review addresses the importance of single active ingredients and herbal drugs from South American flora as natural ingredients for pharmaceuticals; it highlights the most relevant cases in terms of species of interest; and discusses the key entry barriers for these products in industrialized countries. It explores the reasons why, in spite of the region's competitive advantages, South American biodiversity has been a poor source of natural ingredients for the pharmaceutical industry.
尽管生物技术和现代组合化学及合理药物设计方法已经出现，但大自然作为新药化合物的来源仍然起着惊人的重要作用。这些药物或以草药药物或以单一活性成分的形式上市。南美热带生态系统（或新热带地区）拥有全球三分之一的植物生物多样性。几个世纪以来，土著人民一直将植物用于治疗目的，科学家们正在做出相当大的努力，以便从药理学/植物化学的角度验证这些用途。然而，尽管该地区的植物多样性独特，但来自该地区的极少数天然药物成分已进入工业化国家的市场。本综述探讨了南美的单活性成分和草药药物作为天然药物成分的重要性；它强调了最相关的物种案例；并讨论了这些产品在工业化国家的主要进入壁垒。它探讨了尽管该地区具有竞争优势，但为什么南美生物多样性一直是制药行业天然成分的贫源的原因。
