The heart is a resistin target tissue and can function as an autocrine organ. We sought to investigate whether cyclic mechanical stretch could induce resistin expression in cardiomyocytes and to test whether there is a link between the stretch-induced TNF-alpha and resistin. Neonatal Wistar rat cardiomyocytes grown on a flexible membrane base were stretched by vacuum to 20% of maximum elongation at 60 cycles/min. Cyclic stretch significantly increased resistin protein and mRNA expression after 2-18 h of stretch. Addition of PD-98059, TNF-alpha antibody, TNF-alpha receptor antibody, and ERK MAP kinase small interfering RNA 30 min before stretch inhibited the induction of resistin protein. Cyclic stretch increased, whereas PD-98059 abolished, the phosphorylated ERK protein. Gel-shift assay showed a significant increase in DNA-protein binding activity of NF-kappaB after stretch, and PD-98059 abolished the DNA-protein binding activity induced by cyclic stretch. DNA binding complexes induced by cyclic stretch could be supershifted by p65 monoclonal antibody. Cyclic stretch increased resistin promoter activity, whereas PD-98059 and p65 antibody decreased resistin promoter activity. Cyclic stretch significantly increased TNF-alpha secretion from myocytes. Recombinant resistin protein and conditioned medium from stretched cardiomyocytes reduced glucose uptake in cardiomyocytes, and recombinant small interfering RNA of resistin or TNF-alpha antibody reversed glucose uptake. In conclusion, cyclic mechanical stretch enhances resistin expression in cultured rat neonatal cardiomyocytes. The stretch-induced resistin is mediated by TNF-alpha, at least in part, through ERK MAP kinase and NF-kappaB pathways. Glucose uptake in cardiomyocytes was reduced by resistin upregulation.