TLR4 and brain ischemia: TLRs, in particular TLR4, play important roles in the initiation and progression of inflammatory response by intrinsic brain cells, given that brain ischemia induces neuronal release or the increased production of endogenous ligands of TLR4 (damage-associated molecular patterns such as high-mobility group box 1 and peroxiredoxin) in a relatively early stage of an ischemic event, i.e., within 24 h [9, 54, 55].