The effect of intracerebroventricular injections of arginine vasopressin (AVP) on burn shock in the rat and its possible mechanism were explored in this study. AVP was administered intraventricularly at 30 min intervals (50 ng) in the burned rats. The arterial pressure and electrocardiogram (ECG) were recorded with a multipurpose polygraph before and after burn. Compared with the control, the MAP of the rats in the AVP group was elevated at the initial stage and fell dramatically at the late stage of burn shock with a higher mortality. The ECG of the rats in the AVP group also displayed earlier changes such as elevation of S-T segment, inversion of T wave, and ventricular fibrillation. These findings suggest an unfavorable role of AVP in burn shock. The plasma, hypothalamic, and anterior and posterior pituitary levels of beta-endorphin 3 hr after burn were measured by radioimmunoassay. The increased level of beta-endorphin in the plasma after AVP treatment indicates the possible involvement of beta-endorphin in the deteriorating effect of AVP on burn shock.