C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 4
C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) is a cell-surface chemokine receptor in the protein family that mediates responses to the chemokine CXCL12 (also called stromal cell-derived factor 1).
C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) is a cell-surface chemokine receptor in the protein family that mediates responses to the chemokine CXCL12 (also called stromal cell-derived factor 1). It is best known for its role in directing cell migration, retention, and positioning within tissue microenvironments, especially in hematopoietic and immune contexts. Through CXCL12-CXCR4 signaling, cells can be anchored within protective niches, a mechanism that is biologically important in normal tissue homeostasis and is frequently co-opted in disease.
In medicine, CXCR4 is widely studied as a target in cancer, inflammatory disease, and drug-delivery strategies because it can influence tumor microenvironment interactions, immune-cell trafficking, and metastatic spread. In hematologic malignancies, CXCR4-mediated retention in the bone marrow microenvironment can support leukemia cell survival and chemoresistance. In solid tumors and inflammatory settings, CXCR4 expression on malignant cells, tumor-associated macrophages, or aged neutrophils has been linked to disease progression, immune remodeling, and tissue inflammation. These properties have made CXCR4 a recurring target for therapeutic inhibition, targeted nanomedicine, and molecular design efforts.
Where the papers sit
16 papers from the last 6 months study C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 4 directly · updated from PubMed 12 Oct 2026
Study type 0 clinical trials · 3 human data · 11 preclinical · 2 unclassified
Themes no clear themes · 1 new direction
Those 16 do not share a common subject.
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CXCR4 appears across studies of fibrosis, cancer, inflammation, vascular disease, imaging, and molecular design. The work ranges from nanoparticles and radiotracers to computational chemistry and multi-omics. Disease mechanisms and therapeutic aims vary substantially, with no shared endpoint or consistent treatment direction. The common thread is CXCR4 as a marker, pathway component, or target in otherwise unrelated investigations.
CXCR4 is treated as a conformationally staged activation system for agonist design
The computational study of CXCR4 activation uses targeted and coarse-grained molecular-dynamics simulations to examine the receptor itself rather than its role as a disease-associated marker, signaling axis, or therapeutic target 42126261May. It finds that activation proceeds through three transition states, with ICL3 and transmembrane-helix rearrangements governing the highest barrier and specific W94 and E288 conformations lowering later barriers. This recasts CXCR4 as a structurally dynamic sequence of druggable activation states and provides a mechanistic basis for designing small-molecule agonists, a role not otherwise represented in the set.
Papers
The 16 papers from the last 6 months that study C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 4 directly, newest first, by theme and by study type. Study types come from PubMed publication types and MeSH headings.
By theme
No clear themes (16)
- CXCR4-targeted dual softener for inducing senescence therapy in hepatic fibrosis. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 17 Aug 2026 PMID 42607216
- Collagenase-Coated Polymeric Drug/siRNA Nanoparticles Overcome ECM and Regulate Metabolic Reprogramming of Fibroblasts for Alleviating Pulmonary Fibrosis. Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany) · 3 Jul 2026 PMID 42396810
- SU056 potentiates SULF2 antibody in suppressing cholangiocarcinoma metastasis via SULF2-YBX1-CXCR4 signaling axis. Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie · 12 Jun 2026 PMID 42284889
- Synthesis and Preclinical Evaluation of Structurally Optimized 68Ga-Labeled CXCR4 Radiotracers for PET Imaging of Atherosclerotic Plaque Inflammation. Journal of medicinal chemistry · 8 Jun 2026 PMID 42258221
- Targeting the METTL1/m7G axis as a therapeutic strategy in myeloid leukemia. Blood · 5 Jun 2026 PMID 42247311
- Pathological accumulation of aged neutrophils contributes to intestinal inflammation in inflammatory bowel disease. Clinical science (London, England : 1979) · 1 Jun 2026 PMID 42222980
- CXCR4 antagonistic lipid nanoparticles loading siRNA combat refractory AML through AML1-ETO depletion and homoharringtonine sensitization. Materials today. Bio · 29 May 2026 PMID 42211065
- Neutrophil-lifecycle-inspired nanoplatform for the treatment of lung cancer bone metastasis. Nanoscale · 29 May 2026 PMID 42210861
- Multi-omics reveals a novel Cxcr4+ subpopulation of alveolar macrophages and therapeutic effect of AMD3100 in mice with advanced silicosis. Clinical and translational medicine · 28 May 2026 PMID 42204838
- Machine learning identifies a NETs-related four-gene diagnostic signature for abdominal aortic aneurysm. Medicine · 23 May 2026 PMID 42175497
- Computational Insights into the Activation Mechanism of CXCR4: Implications for the Design of Small Molecule Agonists. Journal of the American Chemical Society · 13 May 2026 PMID 42126261
- Exosomal circRNA_0023016 suppresses hepatocellular carcinoma progression by regulating the EIF4A3/RNF113A/CXCR4 axis in endothelial cells. International immunopharmacology · 12 May 2026 PMID 42119231
- CXCR4-targeted lipid nanozymes for metastasis blockade and immune microenvironment reprogramming in hematological malignancies. Journal of controlled release : official journal of the Controlled Release Society · 5 May 2026 PMID 42086148
- Multi-Omics reveals SPP1 + malignant and CXCR4+ TAM crosstalk predicts immunotherapy response in lung adenocarcinoma. Discover oncology · 27 Apr 2026 PMID 42045760
- Nao-Xin-Tong Capsule alleviates astrocyte end-foot swelling after cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury via NF-κB/MMP9/AQP4 signal and NF-κB/CXCL12/CXCR4 signal. Journal of ethnopharmacology · 26 Apr 2026 PMID 42035998
- A Transformer for Reaction-Aware Compound Explorations with GFlowNet in QSAR-Guided Molecular Design. Journal of chemical information and modeling · 25 Apr 2026 PMID 42033344
By study type
Human data, design not indexed (3)
- Machine learning identifies a NETs-related four-gene diagnostic signature for abdominal aortic aneurysm. Medicine · 23 May 2026 PMID 42175497
- Computational Insights into the Activation Mechanism of CXCR4: Implications for the Design of Small Molecule Agonists. Journal of the American Chemical Society · 13 May 2026 PMID 42126261
- A Transformer for Reaction-Aware Compound Explorations with GFlowNet in QSAR-Guided Molecular Design. Journal of chemical information and modeling · 25 Apr 2026 PMID 42033344
Preclinical: animal, cell and lab studies (11)
- CXCR4-targeted dual softener for inducing senescence therapy in hepatic fibrosis. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 17 Aug 2026 PMID 42607216
- Collagenase-Coated Polymeric Drug/siRNA Nanoparticles Overcome ECM and Regulate Metabolic Reprogramming of Fibroblasts for Alleviating Pulmonary Fibrosis. Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany) · 3 Jul 2026 PMID 42396810
- SU056 potentiates SULF2 antibody in suppressing cholangiocarcinoma metastasis via SULF2-YBX1-CXCR4 signaling axis. Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie · 12 Jun 2026 PMID 42284889
- Synthesis and Preclinical Evaluation of Structurally Optimized 68Ga-Labeled CXCR4 Radiotracers for PET Imaging of Atherosclerotic Plaque Inflammation. Journal of medicinal chemistry · 8 Jun 2026 PMID 42258221
- Targeting the METTL1/m7G axis as a therapeutic strategy in myeloid leukemia. Blood · 5 Jun 2026 PMID 42247311
- Pathological accumulation of aged neutrophils contributes to intestinal inflammation in inflammatory bowel disease. Clinical science (London, England : 1979) · 1 Jun 2026 PMID 42222980
- Neutrophil-lifecycle-inspired nanoplatform for the treatment of lung cancer bone metastasis. Nanoscale · 29 May 2026 PMID 42210861
- Multi-omics reveals a novel Cxcr4+ subpopulation of alveolar macrophages and therapeutic effect of AMD3100 in mice with advanced silicosis. Clinical and translational medicine · 28 May 2026 PMID 42204838
- Exosomal circRNA_0023016 suppresses hepatocellular carcinoma progression by regulating the EIF4A3/RNF113A/CXCR4 axis in endothelial cells. International immunopharmacology · 12 May 2026 PMID 42119231
- CXCR4-targeted lipid nanozymes for metastasis blockade and immune microenvironment reprogramming in hematological malignancies. Journal of controlled release : official journal of the Controlled Release Society · 5 May 2026 PMID 42086148
- Nao-Xin-Tong Capsule alleviates astrocyte end-foot swelling after cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury via NF-κB/MMP9/AQP4 signal and NF-κB/CXCL12/CXCR4 signal. Journal of ethnopharmacology · 26 Apr 2026 PMID 42035998
Unclassified: not yet indexed with MeSH (2)
- CXCR4 antagonistic lipid nanoparticles loading siRNA combat refractory AML through AML1-ETO depletion and homoharringtonine sensitization. Materials today. Bio · 29 May 2026 PMID 42211065
- Multi-Omics reveals SPP1 + malignant and CXCR4+ TAM crosstalk predicts immunotherapy response in lung adenocarcinoma. Discover oncology · 27 Apr 2026 PMID 42045760
Written from 16 PubMed abstracts, each one listed by PMID above. Published: 2026-07-30. Last written: 2026-08-26 by GPT. Drafted by language models from published abstracts; not medical advice.