Although ASK1 is necessary for angiogenesis and the recovery of blood flow by direct expression of VEGF and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) after unilateral hindlimb ischemia, ASK1 and VEGF play an important role in vascular permeability in cerebral ischemia [24, 49]. Here, CCL2 is linked to brain ischemia.