Abstract: The genus Euphorbia (Euphorbiaceae) consists of about 2000 species distributedthroughout the world.Over 80 species of them grow in China used as antitumor agents inChinese folk medicine.Agreat number of phytochemical and pharmacological investigationsshowed that the bioactive constituents existing in the genus are diterpenoids, which exhibittoxic, irritant, cocarcinogrnic activities as well as anticancer and antileukemic activities.More than 300 diterpenoids owning fourteen carbon skeleton types (Fig.1) have been lsolatedand characterized from the genus still now.In this paper, new diterpene esters from EuPhor-bia genus in China(Fig.2-6) and their irritating, anticancer and bactericide activities in thelatest years (from 1986 to 1996), were reviewed, including twenty polyfunctional diterpeneesters with five novel carbon skeleton types (Euphoractine A, Euphoractine B, EuphactineA, Spr-ol and Euphoreppinol, cf.Fig- 1 and Fig.7).

Key words: Euphorbiaceae, Euphorbia, Diterpene ester, Bioactivities