The studied markers expressed significantly in IBD patients differentiating them from NSC patients (p < 0.001) except for CCR9 expression was statistically insignificant in CD patients (p = 0.528).
The principal targets for anti-chemokine therapy in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have been the receptors CCR9 and CXCR3 and their respective ligands CCL25 and CXCL10.
CD4<sup>+</sup> T helper (Th) cells that express the gut homing chemokine receptor CCR9 are increased in the peripheral blood of patients with inflammatory bowel disease and Sjögren's syndrome and in the inflamed lesions of autoimmune diseases that affect the accessory organs of the digestive system.