MMP9 and ischemic stroke: Following an ischemic stroke, breakdown of the BBB, vasogenic edema, and hemorrhagic conversion are mainly mediated by MMPs, in particular MMP-3 and MMP-9, which have been shown to be critical in inflammation-mediated neurovascular damage (Asahi et al., 2000; Candelario-Jalil et al., 2009; Stanimirovic and Friedman, 2012; Lakhan et al., 2013).