This study aimed to investigate the cerebroprotective effect of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) on permanent focal cerebral ischemia in Sprague-Dawley rats. Right middle cerebral artery (MCA) was occluded for 6 and 24 hours by an intraluminal monofilament technique. An open cranial window was made on the right parietal bone for determination of continuous changes in regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) by laser-Doppler flowmetry. The infarct size was morphometrically determined using the 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride technique. Brain edema was determined by measuring brain water content. In normal rats, rCBF was significantly increased by intravenous infusion of VEGF for 10 minutes. The VEGF-induced increase in rCBF was significantly inhibited by pretreatment with suramin, a heparin-binding growth factor inhibitor as well as $N^{omega}-nitro-L-arginine$, a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor. In focal cerebral ischemic rats, the amplitude of decrease in rCBF during ischemic period was significantly less in VEGF-treated group, compared with that in vehicle-treated group. The cerebral infarct size was reduced by VEGF in a dose-dependent manner. The brain edema formation was dose-dependently reduced by VEGF in 24-hour MCA occlusion group but not in 6-hour MCA occlusion group. It is suggested that VEGF not only improves the rCBF during cerebral ischemic period but also reduces the brain edema formation, and thereby exert a protective effect on focal cerebral ischemia in rats.