GAS5 and inflammatory bowel disease: In recent years, similar results were found for GAS5, which was reduced in inflamed colon biopsies deriving from IBD pediatric patients compared to the non-inflamed ones; GAS5 downregulation was also associated with the up-regulation of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) [14], which are responsible for the extracellular matrix (ECM) turnover and also for the regulation of ECM composition in terms of inflammatory chemokines, cytokines and growth factors[27].