FGF2 and brain ischemia: It has also been found that intravenous combined transplantation of bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) and EPCs contributes to the recovery of neurological function in the rat cerebral ischemia model, which may be achieved by high expression of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), BDNF, and VEGF [81] and may be associated with the eNOS/BDNF pathway [82].