['p38 member of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) family has been shown to participate in neuropathic pain and axonal regeneration after nerve injury. However, its role in axotomy-induced neuronal apoptosis remains unclear. This study was aimed to examine p38 phosphorylation  in the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) and its role in DRG neuronal loss after axotomy.', 'Left sciatic nerve transection was performed in all rats. For the temporal study of p38 phosphorylation, the rats were sacrificed at 1 day, 2 weeks, and 2 months after injury. In the second  experiment, the rats were divided into control and inhibitor groups receiving vehicle and p38 inhibitor (SB203580, 200 μg/kg/day intraperitoneally once daily), respectively, for 2 weeks.', 'The p38 phosphorylation was increased in L4/5 DRG at 2 weeks after transection. Immunoreactivity  of phospho-p38 was mainly observed in the cytoplasm of small neurons with additional nuclear localization in the axotomized neurons at 2 weeks. SB203580 could reduce the phosphorylation of p38 and its substrate, ATF2, including the upregulation of total caspase-3 expression in the DRG. Moreover,  count of L4/5 DRG neurons revealed significantly decreased cell loss in the inhibitor than control groups (17·4% versus 32·5%).'] Does inhibition of p38 MAPK reduce loss of primary sensory neurons after nerve transection?