Abstract: Objective To observe the effect of propofol on expression of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor（NMDA） subunits 2A（NR2A） and 2B（NR2B） in cortex of rats at status epilepticus（SE）. Methods Sixty SD rats were randomly divided into blank group,SE group,propofol group（50mg/kg）,diazepam group（10mg/kg）,scopolamine group（10mg/kg） and MK-801 group（2mg/kg）,10 rats in each group.A rat SE model was induced by pilocarpine（30mg/kg）.Thirty minutes after occurrence of SE,each agent was injected into the abdominal cavity of rats in different experimental groups,and an equal volume of 0.9% sodium chloride injection was injected into the abdominal cavity of rats in blank and SE groups.Twenty-four hours later,4 rats from each group were killed with their brain collected.Tissue protein was isolated from the brain.Effect of propofol on expression of NMDA NR2A and NR2B in cortex of rats was detected 24h after SE attack. Results Twenty-four hours after SE attack,the expression level of NR2A and NR2B was significantly higher in SE group than in blank group（P＜0.05）.However,the expression level of NR2B was significantly lower in propofol group than in SE group（P＜0.05）.No difference was found in expression of NR2A between the two groups.The expression level of NR2A and NR2B was significantly lower in MK801 group than in SE group（P＜0.05）. Conclusion Propofol can significantly inhibit the expression of NR2B in cortex of rats after SE attack.