Expression of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases and matrix metalloproteinases in the ischemic brain of photothrombosis model mice.

Middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) is the most widely used animal model of ischemic stroke. This model well recapitulates the pathological features of most human cases; however, MCAO is technically difficult to achieve in mice and has some disadvantages for investigating the molecular mechanisms of pathological progression in stroke. The recently developed photothrombosis model may be more suitable for research on the molecular mechanisms of ischemic stroke in mice.