Abstract: Objective To investigate the expression of peroxisome proliferator activated receptorα（PPARα） mRNA in liver of scalded rats with wound sepsis. Methods Sixty male Wistar scalded rats with 30% total body surface area（TBSA） full-thickness burn were randomly divided into wound sepsis group and scald group（control group）.Pseudomonas aeruginosa（109/mL） was inoculated to the wounds of rats in sepsis group.The life conditions,appearance of wound,quantity of bacteria in subeschar tissue and pathological changes were observed,whih conformed that the rat model of burn wound sepsis was successfully established.Fresh liver tissues were obtained.Total RNA was isolated from liver tissues with Trizol.PPARα level in liver was measured by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction（RT-PCR）. Results The PPARα mRNA expression level was significantly lower in the sepsis group than in the control group 24-96h after scalding（P＜0.05）. Conclusion Burn wound sepsis can decrease the expression level of PPARα mRNA in liver,which might be involved in the initiation and development of lipid metabolism disturbance.