Background The levels of long-term elevated serum or intracellular free fatty acid （FFA） induce insulin resistance associated with central obesity. The insulin-mimetic protein visfatin is preferentially produced by visceral adipose tissues and has been implicated in obesity and insulin resistance. To identify that FFA is capable of inducing insulin resistance and to clarify the role of FFA on visfatin, we examined the effect of monounsaturated FFA oleate （C 18： 1） and saturated FFA palmitate （C 16：0） on glucose transport and visfatin gene expression in cultured 3T3-L1 adipocytes or preadipocytes.Methods FFA-free DMEM/F12, 0.125 mmol/L, 0.5 mmol/1 and 1.0 mmol/L oleate or palmitate was added to cultured 3T3-L1 adipocytes or preadipocytes and incubated overnight. Glucose transport was assessed as 3H- 2-deoxy-glucose uptake. Total RNA was extracted and subjected to RT-PCR for the measurement of visfatin mRNA levels. Statistical comparisons between control group and other groups were performed with the two-tailed paired t test, and one-way ANOVA was used to compare the mean values among the groups.Results Insulin increased specific membrane glucose transport in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. Upregulation was evident from 15 minutes to 1 hour exposure to insulin. However, after 6-hour exposure to insulin, there was a downregulation in the response to insulin. Dose response studies demonstrated that 2-deoxy glucose transport was increased by 336% at 50 nmol/L insulin （P〈0.01）, and reached a maximal effect at 100 nmol/L insulin （P〈0.01）. Oleate and palmitate treatment did not influence basal glucose transport （without insulin stimulation）, whereas insulin-stimulated glucose transport was inhibited after overnight oleate and palmitate treatment in preadipocytes and adipocytes. In 3T3-L1 preadipocytes, insulin resistance could be achieved at 0.125 mmol/L oleate or palmitate （P〈0.05, respectively）, and the inhibition was dose dependent. In adipocytes, the inhibition was noted at 0.5 mmol/L olea
