Abstract： This paper was aimed to investigate the effects of ATP-sensitive potassium channels on the proliferation and differentiation of rat preadipocytes. We examined the expression of sulphonylurea receptor 2 (SUR2) mRNA in preadipocytes and adipocytes obtained by inducing for 5 d and the effects of the inhibitor (glibenclamide) and opener (diazoxide) of ATP-sensitive potassium channels on the expression of SUR2 mRNA in preadipocytes by real-time PCR. Preadipocyte proliferation and cell cycle were measured by MTT spectrophotometry and flow cytometer. The content of intracellular lipid was measured by oil red O staining, cell diameter was determined by Image-Pro Plus 5.0 software and the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ(PPAR-γ) mRNA was estimated by RT-PCR. SUR2 mRNA was expressed in both preadipocytes and adipocytes obtained by inducing for 5 d, and the expression in adipocytes was obviously higher than that in preadipocytes. Glibenclamide inhibited the expression of SUR2 mRNA in preadipocyte, promoted preadipocyte proliferation in a dose-dependent manner, increased the cell percentages in G2/M + S phase,increased lipid content, augmented adipocyte diameter, and promoted the expression of PPAR-γ mRNA. But the actions of diazoxide were contrary to those of glibenclamide. These results suggest that ATP-sensitive potassium channels regulate the proliferation and differentiation of preadipocytes, and PPAR-γ is probably involved in the effect of ATP-sensitive potassium channels.