CXCL12 and inflammatory bowel disease: Interestingly, patients with inflammatory bowel disease showed an upregulation of CXCR4 and its ligand CXCL12; CXCR4 antagonists could reduce colonic inflammation.75–77 The observed decrease in the CXCR4 expression in the current study could be attributed to the prolonged period of remission regardless of which treatment group patients belonged to.