Diabetes increases the risk as well as the poor outcome of stroke. Matrix metalloprotease (MMP) activation disrupts blood-brain barrier integrity after cerebral ischemia. We have previously shown that type 2 diabetes promotes remodeling of middle cerebral arteries (MCA) characterized by increased media:lumen (M/L) ratio and MMP activity in an endothelin (ET)-1-dependent manner in the Goto-Kakizaki (GK) rat model. In the present study, we examined the effects of ET-1-mediated vascular remodeling on neurovascular damage following cerebral ischemic injury in GK rats 5 and 12 weeks after the onset of diabetes. The MCA structure, cerebral perfusion as well as infarct size, and hemorrhage were measured in control and diabetic rats subjected to transient MCA occlusion. M/L ratio was increased after 12 but not 5 weeks of diabetes. The baseline cerebral perfusion was lower and the infarct volume was smaller in diabetic rats at both age groups. The incidence of hemorrhagic transformation was higher after 5 weeks of diabetes as compared 12 weeks or the control groups. These findings provide evidence that ET-1 mediated cerebrovascular remodeling does not worsen the neurovascular damage of ischemic brain injury in diabetes. It is possible that this early remodeling response is compensatory in nature to regulate vascular tone and integrity especially when ischemia is layered on diabetic vascular disease.