The purpose of this research was to investigate effects of baicalin on the differentiation of preadipocytes, 3T3-L1, and to characterize the action of baicalin that affect the responses of 3T3-L1 cells during differentiation. In various culture conditions, effects of baicalin and adrenoreceptor agonists such as phenylephrine(PE) and isoproterenol(IPR) on cell differentiation were examined. Also, effects of the drugs on differentiation, triglyceride(TG) contents, expression of insulin receptor, cAMP contents, the cytosolic $Ca^{2+}$ levels, and amount of calmodulin(CaM) were examined. The results suggest that baicalin has adrenergic receptor blocking activity during the process of differentiation of 3T3-L1 cells and that in the early stage of the adipose conversion, the effect of baicalin on the adipocyte differentiation is mediated by the regulation of insulin receptor expression, but by alterations of the cAMP and the calcium metabolism in the late stage. These results also suggest that the action of baicalin may be significant in the lipid metabolism, lipogenic and lipolytic pathways, of adipose cells.