Abstract: Objective To observe the hepatic expression of histone deacetylase 2（HDAC2）with the treatment of ethyl pyruvate（EP）in rats with acute live failure induced by D-galactosamine hydrochlorate. Methods 78 male Wistar rats were divided randomly as normal，model，intervention of EP and EP treatment groups. The expressions and levels of HDAC2 in liver tissues were detected by immunohistochemistry and ELISA，respectively. Results Compared with normal group，the expression of HDAC2 in model group decreased（P<0.05）；Of which the IOD/Area values at 12h and 24h were 0.0817±0.0118 and 0.0726±0.0111，much lower than that in normal group（0.1125±0.0047，P＜0.01）. Conclusion The expressions of HDAC2 in rats with acute live failure were remarkably reduced. Although EP could protect the liver，it has no effect on the expression of HDAC2.

Key words: Acute live failure, Histone deacetylase 2, Ethyl pyruvate