Abstract: Objective To explore the effects of different dietary proteins on the expression of adiponectin and its receptors in rats.Methods Thirty-six male adult Wistar rats were randomly divided in to casein prote in group,soy protein group and the glutelin-soy mixed protein group by body weight and were fed for 12 weeks.Plasma was collected for the determination of blood lipids and adipose tissue,and skeletal muscle and hepatic tissue were detected for the expression of adiponectin,adiponectin receptor 1(AdipoR1)and adiponectin receptor 2(AdipoR2),respectively.Results Compared to the rats fed with case in protein,the expression of adiponectin in adipose tissue and AdipoR 1 in skeletal muscle were signifi-cantly higher(P < 0.05)in other two groups.Furthermore,rats fed with glutein-soy mixed protein had a significantly higher expression of adiponectin in adipose tissue(P < 0.05)than rats fed with soy protein.In addition,adiponectin expression in adipose tissue was inversely associated with triglyceride level in plasma(r=-0.64,P < 0.05).Conclusion Different dietary proteins have distinct effects on the expression of adiponectin and its receptors inrats.Both the soy protein and the glutelin-soy mixed prote in canup-regulate the expression of adiponectin and adiponectin receptors,especially the latter.