CXCL12 and inflammatory bowel disease: For example, in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), CXCL12 expression is upregulated compared with normal tissues, and CXCR7 expression is raised in human peripheral blood T cells (PBTs) from IBD patients compared with PBTs of healthy subjects, and aberrantly activated CXCR7 can aggravate intestinal inflammation in IBD patients [35–37].