OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between autophagy function in spinal cord and type 2 diabetic neuropathic pain in rats. METHODS: =18). And another 18 normal rats randomly selected from the total were classified as control group (group C) and fed with common forage for 8 weeks. The MWT and TWL were measured again on the 3rd, 7th and 14th day after determining the grouping of DA and DNP, and then, the lumbar segments 4~6 of the spinal cord were removed from the executed rats for determination of the expressions of microtubule-associated protein light chain 3 (LC3)、Beclin-1and P62 by Western blot. The co-expressions of P62 with GFAP or OX-42 or NeuN in spinal dorsal horn were detected in another 6 lumbar segments of diabetic neuropathic pain (DNP) rats on the 7th day by immunofluorescence double dye method. RESULTS: <0.05). P62 was mainly localized in spinal dorsal horn and coexisted with neurons, and spots of P62 immunoreactivity could be detected in a few microglia but not observed in astrocyte. CONCLUSIONS: The changes in expression of LC3-Ⅱ、Beclin-1 and P62 in spinal cord of type 2 diabetes neuropathic pain rats means autophagy activation of spinal, up-regulated autophagy of neurons in spinal dorsal horn mainly involves in the formation and development of type 2 diabetic neuropathic pain in rats.