STAT3 and brain ischemia: In this study, we established a rat model of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) to explore whether the neuroprotective effect of EE on cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury is related to astrocytic IL-17A-mediated angiogenesis, as well as to determine the role of the pro-angiogenesis factors interleukin-6 (IL-6), JAK2, and STAT3 in IL-17A-mediated angiogenesis during the convalescent period of ischemic stroke.