白桦树叶和树皮中含有次生代谢产物白桦三萜,其中白桦树外皮中含有丰富的羽扇豆烷型的三萜白桦酯醇和白桦酯酸,这两种天然产物具有抑制人免疫缺陷病毒复制和选择性杀死癌细胞等药理活性,并显示出与以往药物不同的作用机制,疗效高而毒性低,被认为是具有一定开发潜力的抗癌、抗艾滋病类先锋药物。本文就天然药物成分白桦三萜组成、分布的组织特异性、药理活性、代谢途径、环境调控和白桦三萜生物合成关键酶基因克隆的研究进展作一介绍。 White birch leaves and bark contain secondary metabolites of white triterpenoids, which bark bark rich in lupine alkane triterpenoid betulin and betulinic acid, the two natural products have inhibited the replication of human immunodeficiency virus and Selective killing of cancer cells and other pharmacological activities, and shows a different mechanism of action with previous drugs, high efficacy and low toxicity, is considered to have a certain potential for development of anti-cancer, anti-AIDS avant-garde drugs. In this paper, the research progress of triterpenoid composition, distributional tissue specificity, pharmacological activity, metabolic pathway, environmental regulation and key enzyme gene cloning of the natural white birch triterpenes were introduced.