Fig. 1. Animal model and treatment.

SD rats were used to establish models of sham and burn, as described in “MATERIALS AND METHODS”. Burn rats were randomly divided into Burn+S and Burn+BP groups. Rats in the Sham+S, Burn+S, and Burn+BP groups were administrated the following treatments by gavage: 2 mL normal saline, 2 mL normal saline, and 2 mL blended protein solved in normal saline (200 mg/kg • body weight with 50% whey protein and 50% soybean protein), respectively. Finally, on days 3, 7 and 14, the rats were anesthetized and samples were collected.