Discovering the Pharmacological Potential of Ecuadorian Market Plants using a Screens-to-nature Participatory Approach

Abstract

Objective: Edible plants of medicinal value can serve as a resource for sustainable development in Ecuador, a country rich in agrobiodiversity and traditional ecological knowledge. This study surveyed the nematicidal, antimicrobial, and antioxidant potential of plants sold in local Ecuadorian markets through participatory scientific discovery workshops with local Ecuadorian students and researchers, while simultaneously enhancing the knowledge and technological capacity of workshop participants. Methods: Edible plants were purchased from city markets at 3 distinct research sites in Ecuador - Cuenca, Quito, and Santa Elena. Botanical identification and traditional uses of each plant were assessed via herbarium specimen preparation and reference to ethnobotanical texts. Portable screens-to-nature (STN) extraction and assay technologies were employed to rapidly and qualitatively detect roundworm lethality, antibacterial, antifungal, and free radical scavenging activities of the plants during 3-day STN workshops at each research site. Participant learning was assessed through a retrospective pretest-posttest administered at the end of each STN workshop. Results: