Acute lung injury (ALI) is a leading complication in extensively burned patients, especially those with inhalation injury.1 It can cause hypoxia resulting in injury of remote organs and dysfunction.P38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) is a stress activated protein kinase in the MAPK family.2 Most of the previous studies have demonstrated that p38 MAPK signal transduction pathway mediated ALI in rats with acute severe pancreatitis, sepsis etc.3-5 However, there is little information regarding the role of p38 MAPK signal transduction pathway in ALI after severe burn trauma.