VEGF also improved the general neuronal morphology and reduced the number of small and abnormally shaped neuron.17, 42 In recent studies, the damaged neurons may release VEGF, which contributes to promoting microglia/macrophage polarization and obtaining the potentially beneficial phenotypes in early stages of ischemic stroke.40 On the basis of our data from Western blotting and RT‐PCR in ICR mice, leonurine upregulated VEGF at the levels of both protein and mRNA. This evidence concerns the gene VEGFA and ischemic stroke.