Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) can induce proliferation of endothelial cells through VEGFR-1 and VEGFR-2 as its receptors, but the intracellular signaling pathway via VEGFR-1 is still unclear. Previously we reported that stellate cells expressed VEGFR-1 exclusively during activation in the liver. In the present paper, the signaling pathway via VEGFR-1 was studied using rat stellate cells activated in vitro. Western blot analysis revealed that both ERK/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and PI3K/Akt were phosphorylated in the cells activated by culture in Dulbecco's modified Eagle medium containing 10% fetal calf serum on plastic dishes for 9 days. When VEGF was added to the culture medium, the extent of such PI3K/Akt phosphorylation was increased despite that DNA synthesis and ERK/MAPK phosphorylation were unchanged in the cells. However, this up-regulation of PI3K/Akt phosphorylation was markedly diminished following addition of GFX and PD-98059, inhibitors for protein kinase C (PKC) and ERK/MAPK, respectively. Also, addition of GFX reduced phosphorylation of ERK/MAPK in the cells. It is suggested that VEGF may stimulate signal transduction of PI3K/Akt through VEGFR-1 dependently on activation of the PKC and ERK/MAPK pathway in activated hepatic stellate cells.