Inflammation spurts: the role of ground substance viscosity

A cyclical phenomenon of spurting polymorphonuclear leukocytes occurs in a number of skin diseases. The phenomenon is easy to observe because the polymorphonuclear leukocytes move into the epidermis and away from the vascular area. It is proposed that repeated spurting of polymorphonuclear leukocytes may be a broad biologic phenomenon. Edema appears essential to initiate the phenomenon by diluting the tissue fluids. The chemicals released by inflammation decrease ground substance viscosity and therefore interfere with dilution of tissue fluids. This stops the mediation of inflammation. The polymorphonuclear leukocytes also release connective tissue activating peptides which lead to increased glycosaminoglycans production and stimulate fibroblast to proliferate. The tissue activating peptides thus restore the viscosity of the ground substance and the cycle can be repeated. What we interpret as chronic inflammation could be the result of this repeated spurting phenomenon.