Between January 2019 and October 2019, blood samples were collected from 30 patients who had suffered a cerebral ischemic stroke (female to male patient ratio, 17:13; aged 25–65 years) and 30 healthy individuals who were recruited to The Affiliated Hospital of Yangzhou University (Yangzhou, China). The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of The Affiliated Hospital of Yangzhou University (approval no. 2018-004-01) and all patients provided written informed consent prior to participation in the study. The inclusion criteria were as follows: Patients were admitted within 48 h from the onset of stroke, and diagnosed by cerebral imaging and a neurologist. The exclusion criteria were as follows: Intracranial hemorrhage, hematological diseases, pregnancy, cancer, severe renal failure, severe liver failure, recent myocardial infarction and ongoing treatment with anti-inflammatory drugs (20 (link)). To obtain the plasma samples, 2 ml of blood was collected in S-Monovette® EDTA-KE tubes (Sarstedt, Inc.), which was subsequently centrifuged at 2,000 × g for 1 min at 4°C. The supernatant was transferred into a new tube and further centrifuged at 4,000 × g for 5 min at 4°C. The plasma was then acquired and stored at −80°C until required for further analysis.