摘要Numerous studies have confirmed that vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) improves the function of neural cells following spinal cord injury (SCI). However, some studies have also verified that VEGF cannot significantly induce the increase in vascular density at or surrounding the lesion, and that VEGF therapy exacerbated secondary damage following SCI. Based on the dual effects of VEGF on SCI, we constructed the recombinant adeno-associated viruses (rAAV)-hVEGF165-IRES-human recombinant green fluorescent protein (hrGFP) (AAV-VEGF) and rAAV-IRES-hrGFP (AAV-GFP). Our results suggested that rAAV expressed hVEGF165, and a low dose of VEGF relieved increased vascular permeability, improved microcirculation in the local spinal cord, lessened spinal cord edema, and decreased neuronal apoptosis. These results verified that the releasing effects of the rAAV virus vector had protective effects on the spinal cord.