Previous studies of integrin αvβ3 have focused on ischemic brain damage, although the role of integrin αvβ3 in ischemic preconditioning(IP)has rarely been reported. The present study analyzed the effects of IP on integrin αvβ3 mRNA expression following cerebral ischemia through the use of hematoxylin-eosin staining and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction techniques. Integrin αvβ3 mRNA expression in the ischemia group peaked at 24 hours after ischemia-reperfusion. In the IP + ischemia group, integrin αvβ3 mRNA expression increased after 24 hours, but remained significantly less than the ischemia group, and expression continued to increase until 7 days after ischemia/reperfusion. These results demonstrate that IP effectively attenuated upregulation of integrin αvβ3 mRNA expression at 24 hours after ischemia.