GFAP and ischemia: In the current MCAo model, oral administration of co-ultraPEALut 1 h after ischemia and 6 h after reperfusion improved neurological score, reduced lesion size and histological damage, inhibited mast cell infiltration/degranulation and astrocyte activation (as measured by GFAP accumulation, a characteristic neuropathologic feature of ischemic brain injury [56]), and restored expression of BDNF and GDNF.