AKT1 and brain ischemia: To further investigate how TMP modulates the expression of ET-1 in astrocytes and identify its downstream signaling molecules under ischemic conditions, we evaluated Akt protein activation in astrocytes exposed to OGD for 6 h in vitro and in an MCAO-induced cerebral ischemia model in vivo using Western blot assay (Figures 7A, B).