Abstract: Objective To investigate the effects of tumor necrosis factor-α（TNF-α） on sensitivity of 3T3-L1 adipocytes to insulin and the role of rosiglitazone in its intervention. Methods After 3T3-L1 adipocytes were incubated with TNF-α at different concentrations（5μg/ml,10μg/ml,20μg/ml） for 6,12,24 and 48h,respectively,and pre-treated with 10μg/ml rosiglitazone for 6h and 20μg/ml TNF-α for 48h,glucose uptake rate for the cells was assayed by 2-DG ingestion. Results Compared with the control group,the insulin-stimulated rate of glucose uptake was decreased by 25%,43%,and 58%,respectively（P＜0.01）,in 5μg/L,10μg/L and 20μg/L TNF-α treatment groups,and by 10%,28%,40%,and 57%,respectively（P＜0.01）,6,12,24,and 48h after treatment with 20μg/L TNF-α.Compared with the 20μg/L TNF-α treatment group,the insulin-stimulated rate of glucose uptake was increased by 37%（P＜0.01） in rosiglitazone pretreatment group. Conclusion TNF-α can induce resistance of 3T3-L1 adipocytes to insulin in a concentration-and dose-dependent manner,which can be significantly reversed by rosiglitazone.