Aim To investigate the relationships between intercellular adhesion molecule-1 （ICAM-1）, vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 （VCAM-1）, and intraplaque angiogenesis. Methods Twenty-five New Zealand white rabbits underwent balloon-induced abdominal aortic wall injury and were fed with a diet of 1% cholesterol to establish a rabbit model of atherosclerosis. In week 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 after balloon injury every 5 rabbits were euthanasia respectively. Tissue samples were taken from the abdominal aorta. Some segments were embedded in paraffin and cut into 5 μm thick sections for staining with H&E and reacted with platelet-endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 （PECAM-1, i.e. CD31）, rat anti-rabbit macrophage antibody-11 （RAM-11）, ICAM-1, and VCAM-1. Results From week 4 to week 12, the expression of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 increased with the development of atherosclerotic plaque in the abdominal aorta of rabbits.