Immunohistochemical analyses of vascular marker vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2), angiogenesis marker angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2), and endothelial progenitor cell marker (CD34) in the peri-infarct area of the ischemic brain revealed higher quantities of each marker in the exercise group of stroke rats, with the 60m group possessing the highest quantities, while a lower number of endothelial dysfunction marker von Willebrand Factor (vWF) was observed in the peri-infarct areas of the exercise group of stroke rats relative to non-exercise stroke animals (Fig. 3). This evidence concerns the gene VWF and endothelial dysfunction.