Abstract: To investigate the effect of ketamine on cerebral HSP70 expression in rats after severe burns and to explore its possible mechanism of cerebral protection. MethodsOne hundred and twentyfour male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: the normal control group(group N) (n=20)，　the burned control group (group B)(n=52) and the ketamine group (group K) (n=52). Rats in groups B and K were respectively sacrificed at 3, 6, 12 and 24?h after administration. There were 8 rats for each time point of the two groups. Myocardium samples were collected from all groups for HSP70 detection by Western blot analysis. Survival rates of the other rats of each group were measured at 3?h, 6?h, 12?h, 24?h, 2?d, 4?d, 8?d and 10?d. ResultsHSP70 expression was higher in groups K and B than in group N at 3, 6, 12 and 24?h(P＜0.05). It reached a peak at 12?h after administration. HSP70 expression was higher in group K than in group B at 3 and 6?h(P＜0.05). The survival rate of group K was higher than that of group B(P＜0.05). ConclusionsKetamine can enhance cerebral HSP 70 expression in rats after severe burns.

Key words: Ketamine, Heat shock protein 70, Burns, Brain, Rats,Wistar