Mitochondrial dysfunction has been associated with insulin resistance and diabetes. Decreased mitochondrial density and mitochondrial copy numbers have been found in insulin-resistant individuals. Restoration of the number of mitochondria and normal mitochondrial function has become an important therapeutic target of diabetes. Salicylate, the main active ingredient in aspirin, has been in medicinal use since ancient times. Little information regarding the effects of salicylate on mitochondrial function has been reported. In this study, we assessed the effects of salicylate on the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1 alpha (PGC-1 alpha) signaling pathway and mitochondrial biogenesis in pre-adipocytes. Our findings demonstrate that treatment with salicylate promoted the expression of PGC-1 alpha and its downstream targets nuclear respiratory factor 1 (NRF1) and mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM). Importantly, salicylate treatment significantly increased the number of mDNA, citrate synthase activity, expression of respiratory chain complex I, and mitochondrial mass, which were suppressed by the specific AMPK inhibitor Compound C. Indeed, salicylate treatment induced the phosphorylation of AMPK, which was involved in the induction of PGC-1 alpha, NRF1, and TFAM. Importantly, inhibition of PGC-1 alpha expression using PGC-1 alpha small RNA interference abolished the effects of salicylate on mitochondrial biogenesis. These results suggest that salicylate has a potential therapeutic capacity against mitochondrial dysfunction in diabetes. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.