Treatment of liver diseases is directed, mainly, to protecting cells of the liver from the damages caused by different chemical substances. Together with the radiation therapy and the surgery, in the therapy of the tumor pathology, the important component of treatment and rehabilitation of patients appears to be application of medicinal plants. The unique biological activity of the substances of those isolated by white part of birch bark contributes to the decrease of toxic action of chemo- and radiation therapy on the organism
The antioxidant activity of betuline is connected with its direct effect on the ferments of the antioxidant protection, whose basic functional role consists of the decomposition of organic peroxides, first of all - peroxides of lipids, which play paramount role in the disturbance of the normal structure of biological membranes. Substances forming betulin possess the high gepatoprotektornoy and detoxifying activity, inducing the ferments of the rendering safe system of the liver, it normalizes bile secretion, reduces cholesterol level in the blood
3.Betulin contains betulinic acid, which possesses a wide spectrum of biological and pharmacological activities. Betulinic acid has antimalarial and anti-inflammatory activities. Betulinic acid and its derivatives have especially shown anti-HIV activity and cytotoxicity against a variety of tumor cell lines comparable to some clinically used drugs. A new mechanism of action has been confirmed for some of the most promising anti-HIV derivatives, which makes them potentially useful additives to the current anti-HIV therapy. Betulinic acid is specifically cytotoxic to several tumor cell lines by inducing apoptosis in cells. Moreover, it is non-toxic up to 500 mg/kg body weight in mice. The literature concerning derivatization of betulin for structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies and its pharmacological properties is reviewed.