HGF and ischemic stroke: As ischemic stroke has emerged as a multi-phasic disorder, several novel investigations have revealed various cellular factors such as macrophage infiltration, neural stem/progenitor cells, fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21), and tyrosine kinase receptor (c-Met)/hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) that contribute to angiogenesis and repair of the infarct core after delayed recanalization (Cai et al., 2020).