Hydroquinone (HQ) occurs naturally in various plants and food, and is also manufactured for commercial use. Recently, it has been reported that HQ has potent antioxidant properties with radical scavenging activities. In this study, the neuroprotective effect of HQ against ischemic damage following transient focal and global ischemia was examined using 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazoliumchloride (TTC) staining, NeuN immunohistochemistry and F-J B histofluorescence. Fig. It was proven that pre- and post-treatment with 100 mg/kg of HQ protects neurons from ischemic damage. In addition, we also investigated effects of HQ on gliosis and endogenous antioxidants in the hippocampal CA1 region after transient cerebral ischemia using immunohistochemistry. Pre- and post-treatment with 100 mg/kg of HQ notably inhibited the glial activation and maintained the expression of endogenous antioxidants in the gerbil ischemic CA1 region. Briefly, these results indicate that pre- and post-treatment with HQ can protect against ischemic damage induced by transient focal and global ischemia, and the neuroprotective effects of HQ may be closely associated with the attenuation of glial activation and the maintenance of the expression of endogenous antioxidants.