TNF and ischemic stroke: Experimental studies have shown that resident microglia in the brain are activated within minutes of ischemia onset and release multiple proinflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), which play a crucial role in the progression of neuronal loss and brain injury following ischemic stroke [7-9].