STAMBP and colitis: Studies in preclinical models have shown that MC1r receptors in the colon played a pivotal role via the α-MSH pathway in the endogenous clearance of the inflammatory response to colitis (Maaser et al., 2006), and that α-MSH treatment reduced parameters of intestinal inflammation and promoted healing in experimental disease models (Kannengiesser et al., 2008; Yoon et al., 2008; Wei et al., 2016).