CXCR4 and periodontitis: Xu et al. [42] reported that crocus could inhibit NF-kappa B-mediated inflammation and proliferation of breast cancer cells by downregulating PRKCQ expression.CXCL12, CXCL1, and CXCR4 are chemokines that are of utmost importance in inflammatory processes and may be related to the pathogenesis of periodontitis [43].