Abstract: Inflammation plays an important role in the pathogenesis of ischemic stroke and other forms of brain injury. The response of brain to ischemic injury contains an acute and long-term inflammatory process characterized by rapid polarization of microglia, production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, and infiltration of various types of leukocyte (including lymphocyte, neutrophil, and monocyte) in ischemic brain tissue, which lead to ischemic stroke. Considerable progress has been made in preclinical trials to treat ischemic stroke by developing drugs targeting inflammatory mechanisms. This paper reviews the mechanisms of inflammation in ischemic stroke and the development of anti-inflammatory drugs for ischemic stroke, so as to provide the basis for related research.