Objective To explore the effects of visfatin in glucose metabolism by testing the expression of visfatin in liver of rats in different glucose metabolic statuses .Methods SD rats were randomly divided into five groups :normal control group (NC group) ,diet induce obesity group (DIO group) ,diabetes mellitus group (DM group) ,diabetes controlled by insulin group (INS group)and diabetes controlled by metformin group (MET group) .Tested the data of blood glucose (FPG) ,triglyceride(TG) ,total cholesterol(TC) ,free fat acid(FFA) ,fasting insulin(Fins) .The liver of rats was used to test visfatin ,glucose‐6‐phosphatase(G‐6‐pase) mRNA by RT‐PCR and visfatin ,AMP‐activated protein kinase‐α (AMPKα) ,phosphor‐AMP‐activated protein kinase‐α (p‐AMPKα) protein by Western blot .Results FBG of group DM increased than group NC and DIO (P< 0 .01) ;FBG of group INS and MET decresed than group DM (P < 0 .01) ;HOMA‐IR of group DIO and DM increased than group NC (P < 0 .01) ;HOMA‐IR of group DM increased than group DIO (P< 0 .01) .ISI of group DIO and DM decresed than group NC (P< 0 .01) ;ISI of group DM de‐creased than group DIO(P< 0 .01) .TG of group DIO increased than group NC (P< 0 .01) .TG of group INS and MET decreased than group DM (P< 0 .05) .The level of TG and TC of group DM ,INS and MET increased than group NC (P< 0 .05) .The level of serum FFA of group DM ,INS and MET were significantly higher than group NC (P < 0 .05) ;FFA of group DM increased than group DIO(P< 0 .05) .The expression of visfatin mRNA of group DM increased than group NC and DIO (P< 0 .05) ;visfatin mRNA of group INS and MET decreased than group DM (P< 0 .01) .Group DM ,INS and MET had a significantly higher level of G‐6‐Pase mRNA of than group DIO( P < 0 .05) ;Group MET had a significantly lower level of G‐6‐Pase mRNA of than group DM (P <0 .05) .The expression of visfatin protein of group DM ,INS and MET increased than group NC ( P < 0 .05) .The expression of AMPKα protein of group DM ,INS and MET decresed than group NC(P< 0 .05) ;AMPKα of group DM decresed than group DIO (P<0 .05) .The expression of p‐AMPKα protein of group DIO ,DM ,INS and MET decresed than group NC (P< 0 .01) .Conclusion The ex‐pression of visfatin in liver of SD rats might have something to do with insulin resistance and diabetes .We could′t consider that visfatin can affect the pathway of metformin activated AMPK to decrease blood glucose .