Hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha) transcriptionally regulates expression of several target genes in protecting tissues against hypoxia. With hypoxic stress, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a signal protein produced by cells and further contributes to improvement of vascular functions and restoring the oxygen supply to tissues. In this current study, we first hypothesized that the protein levels of HIF-1alpha and VEGF are reduced in skeletal muscles of plateau animals [China Qinghai-Tibetan plateau pikas (ochotona curzoniae)] in response to hypoxia as compared with control animals [normal lowland Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats]. We further hypothesized that HIF-1alpha plays a role in regulating expression of VEGF in skeletal muscle. Note that HIF-1alpha and VEGF were determined by using two-site immunoenzymatic assay (ELISA) methods. Our results demonstrated that hypoxic stress induced by exposure of lower O(2) (6 h) significantly increased the levels of HIF-1alpha and VEGF in the oxidative and glycolytic muscles of SD rats and pikas (P<0.05 vs. normoxic conditions). Notably, the increases in HIF-1alpha and VEGF were significantly less in pikas (P<0.05, vs. SD controls) than in SD rats. In addition, a linear relationship was observed between amplified HIF-1alpha and VEGF in oxidative muscle (r=0.76 and P<0.01) and glycolytic muscle (r=0.72 and P<0.01) and inhibiting HIF-1alpha significantly decreased expression of VEGF induced by hypoxic stress in skeletal muscles (P<0.05). Overall, our findings suggest that (1) responsiveness of HIF-1alpha and VEGF in skeletal muscles to hypoxic stress is blunted in plateau animals, and (2) HIF-1alpha has a regulatory effect on VEGF under hypoxic environment.