To observe the effects of Tuina on the gene transcription and protein expression of 5'AMP-activated protein kinaseα2 (AMPKα2),nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and interleukin(IL-6) in rectus abdominis muscle of type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) rats.To explore the molecular mechanism of Tuina on improving the metabolic inflammatory injury in T2DM.Methods:A total of 6 Wistar rats out of 40 were randomly selected as the blank group (CON).Others were feed with high-fat and high-sugar diets combined with low-dose (35 mg/kg) streptozotocin to establish a T2DM model.A total of 32 successfully modeled rats were randomly divided into the model group (MOD),western medicine group (MET),and Tuina group (TNA) and western medicine combined Tuina group (MIX).The CON and the MOD were perfused with distilled water daily.The MET was daily given a dose of 250 mg/kg for metformin,and the TNA was given daily for manual treatment,and the MIX was given both intervention from MET and TNA.After 8 weeks of intervention,the values of fast blood glucose (FBG) at 2nd,4th,and 8th week were recorded,and real-time PCR was used to measure the gene transcription of AMPKα2,NF-κB,and IL-6 in the rectus abdominis.Western-blot was used to measure the protein expression of AMPKα2 and NF-κB in the rectus abdominis muscle,and the protein expression of IL-6 was determined by ELISA.Results:Compared with the MOD,the FBG of the MET and the MIX decreased significantly at the 2nd,4th,and 8th week (P<0.05,P<0.01),and the FBG of the TNA decreased significantly at the 4th and 8th week (P<0.05).Compared with the MET,the MIX had a more significant hypoglycemic effect at the 4th week (P<0.05),and compared with the TNA,the MIX had a more significant hypoglycemic effect at the 4th and 8th week (P<0.05).Compared with 0 weeks,FBG of each treatment group was significantly decreased at the 2nd,4th,and 8th week (P<0.05,P<0.01).Compared with the CON,the mRNA and protein expression of AMPKα2 in the MOD was decreased (P<0.05).Compared with the MOD,the mRNA and protein expression of AMPKα2 in the MET,the TNA and the MIX were increased (P<0.05).Compared with the CON,the transcription of NF-κB mRNA in the MOD was significantly increased (P<0.01),and the protein expression was increased (P<0.05).Compared with the MOD,the transcription of NF-κB mRNA in the MET was decreased (P<0.05).Compared with the MOD,the transcription of NF-κB mRNA in the MET was significantly decreased (P<0.01),and the protein expression was decreased (P<0.05).Compared with the CON,the IL-6 mRNA expression in the MOD was increased (P<0.05),and the protein expression was significantly increased (P<0.01).Compared with the MOD,the IL-6 gene transcription in the MET,the TNA and the MIX was all significantly decreased (P<0.05,P<0.01),and protein expression was also decreased significantly (P<0.01).Conclusion:Tuina can improve the FBG of T2DM rats,and up-regulate the gene transcription and protein expression of AMPKα2 in skeletal muscle,down-regulate the gene transcription and protein expression of NF-κB and IL-6,in order to improve the metabolic damage caused by glycolipid toxicity.