Chronic low-grade inflammation participates in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Clinical data show that salicylates can improve glucose metabolism in patients with type 2 diabetes. However，its hypoglycemic mechanism is unclear. Some studies have indicated that in addition to inhibiting inflammation，salicylates can reduce glycemia through other ways such as alleviating oxidative stress，activating AMP-activated protein kinase and decreasing free fatty acid level. This article reviewed the literature in recent years about the effect of salicylates on glucose metabolism，which will provide new ideas for the further studies of the application of salicylates in type 2 diabetes mellitus.