MMP9 and ischemic stroke: Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) is one of the most extensively studied circulating biomarkers in ischemic stroke because of its role in neuroinflammation, early vasogenic edema, neuronal apoptosis, vascular remodeling, and neurorepair during the ischemic stroke pathobiological process (Vafadari et al., 2016; Montaner et al., 2019; Figiel et al., 2021).