AIM:To study the effect of glutamine(Gln) on the expression of heat shock protein 70(HSP70) and NF-κB in vitro. ·METHODS:HSP70 and NF-κB expression was detected by ELISA in different times(3,12,24 hours)after the lenses of rats were cultivated in MEM cultural medium. ·RESULTS:The expression of HSP70 in the Gln group was significantly higher than that of the control group(P<0.05;On the contrary,the expression of NF-κB in the Gln group was significantly lower than that of control group(P<0.05). ·CONCLUSION:Gln can induce the expression of HSP70 in the lens epithelial cells of rat and inhibit the expression of NF-κB.