CASP3 and brain ischemia: In a rat model of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) induced cerebral ischemia, moxibustion could reduce the expression of caspase-9, caspase-3, and Bax and increase the expression of Bcl-2 in ischemic brain tissue to reduce the inflammatory reaction and neuronal apoptosis induced by ischemia and hypoxia [22, 23].