Aim To investigate the effect of resveratrol on astrocyte activation after cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury in rats.Methods 45 male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into sham,control and resveratrol groups, 15 rats in each group.Resveratrol or solvent was intra-peritoneally perfused into the rats for 7 consecutive days after 3h for MCA I /R.Cerebral infarction volume with TTC,neurological function score with Longa score, and pathological change with HE staining,the protein expressions of Caspase-3 with immunohistochemistry at 24h after MCA I /R were examined.The protein ex-pressions of GFAP and NeuN in penumbra were detec-ted with immunohistochemistry and immunofluores-cence at 14d after MCA I /R.Results Resveratrol treatment significantly improved the neurological func-tion score,decreased the infarct volume,reduced neu-ron loss,and inhibited the activation and proliferation of astrocytes,compared with the control group.Con-clusion Resveratrol can inhibit the excessive activa-tion of astrocytes,protect neurons in penumbra and im-prove neurological function.