(A) mRNA expression of angiogenic factors and inflammatory cytokines in the ischaemic hindlimb of control (bar C) and donepezil-treated (bar D) mice was quantified with real time RT–PCR. The primer sequences used are indicated in Supplementary Table S1 at http://www.clinsci.org/cs/123/cs1230241add.htm. The expression level of each mRNA in the ischaemic hindlimb of control mouse was set as 100% (n=7). *P<0.05 compared with the control group. (B) Protein level of IL-1β and VEGF in the ischaemic hindlimb of control and donepezil-treated mice was measured by ELISA (n=4). *P<0.05 compared with the control group.