Objective To observe the effects of vascular endothelial growth factor antisense oligonucleotide (VEGF-ASODN) on expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and growth in gastric cancer cells. Methods The VEGF-ASODN was synthesized artificially with phosphorothioic acid. After transfecting with VEGF-ASODN in gastric cancer cells SGC-7901, the initial copy number of mRNA was detected by real-time RT-PCR, and the quantity of VEGF protein in both cell and supernatant were detected by ELISA. The levels of expression of survivin protein in cells were measured by Western blot. FCM and MTT method were used to detect cellular apoptosis and the activity of cells, respectively. The effect of transfection on the growth of cells was evaluated by growth curve. Results The copy number of VEGR mRNA, protein levels of VEGF in the cells and in culture fluid all decreased when the concentration of transfected VEGF-ASODN increased, as well as the levels of survivin protein （P＜0.05）. The ratio of apoptosis increased, the activity of cells also decreased as the concentration of transfected VEGF-ASODN increased （P＜0.05）. Conclusion Transfection with VEGF-ASODN in gastric cancer cells SGC-7901 can inhibit the expressions of VEGF and survivin remarkably. It can enhance cellular apoptosis and suppress growth of cells.