MMP9 and Cerebral ischemia: MMP-9 levels in ischemic stroke patients were significantly elevated at 7d compared to 1d post-stroke (Kurzepa et al., 2006), with a temporal profile study out to 12d post-stroke revealing that levels of MMP-9 increased steadily over time following the onset of cerebral ischemia (Horstmann et al., 2003).