When a patient suffers a stroke, oxygen-starved brain cells begin dying within minutes. In these crucial moments, the brain produces a vital catalyst to protect itself and aid in recovery. That catalyst — an enzyme known as neurolysin — activates a cascade of chemical messengers that reduce cell damage, swelling and inflammation in the brain. Now, a University of Florida Health researcher and his collaborators at Texas Tech University and other universities have discovered two compounds that appear to make the brain-protecting enzyme even more effective.