AIM: To investigate the effects of sodium β-aescin on neutrophil migration and expression of adhesion molecules (ICAM-1 and E-selectin) after middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) in rats. METHODS: Rats were pretreated with sodium β-aescin for 7 d and then subjected to cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury induced by an MCAO. After a 2-h ischemia and a 24-h reperfusion, the infarct volume and neurological deficit were determined by the method of TTC staining and the Longa’s score. The effect of sodium β-aescin on the migration of neutrophils was evaluated by measuring the activity of myeloperoxidase (MPO) enzyme. The expressions of adhesion molecules were determined by immunohistochemistry and West blot. RESULTS: Sodium β-aescin significantly reduced the cerebral infarct volume and ameliorated the neurological deficit (P＜0.05 or P＜0.01). The MPO activity and the expressions of ICAM-1 and E-selectin in the vehicle-treated rats were increased significantly (P＜0.01) after cerebral I/R. After treatment with sodium β-aescin, the enzymatic activity of MPO and the expressions of these adhesion molecules were significantly reduced compared with the vehicle-treated group (P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).CONCLUSION: Sodium β-aescin can attenuate brain injury, down-regulate the protein expressions of ICAM-1and E-selectin, and reduce the migration of neutrophils after cerebral I/R.