Objective To investigate the effect of electro-acupuncture pretreatment on content of interleukin (IL) -1β and IL-6 in serum and ischemic penumbra, and apoptosis in ischemic penumbra in rats after cerebral ischemia- reperfusion injury. Methods Thirty- six male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into sham group (n=12), model group (n=12), and electro-acupuncture pretreatment group (n= 12). The middle cerebral arteries were occluded for 120 minutes and reperfused. Twenty-four hours after reperfusion, the level of IL-1β and IL-6 in serum and brain tissue was detected with enzyme-linked immunosorbent, and apoptosis of ischemic penumbra was detected with TUNEL. Results The content of IL-1β and IL-6 in the serum and brain tissue, and the number of TUNEL-positive cells decreased in the electro- acupuncture pretreatment group compared with that in the model group (P<0.01). Conclusion Electro-acupuncture pretreatment may inhibit inflammatory response and apoptosis in cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury.