THE INFLAMMATORY AND PROLIFERATIVE RESPONSE OF NORMAL SKIN IN A MODELFOR ACUTE CHEMICAL INJURY - ORNITHINE DECARBOXYLASE INDUCTION AS A COMMON FEATURE IN VARIOUS MODELS FOR ACUTE SKIN INJURY

Application of sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) on the skin of healthy vo lunteers was used as a model for acute chemical injury. The time cours e of the response with respect to cell proliferation was studied using ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity. Erythema, polymorphonuclear l eucocyte (PMN) infiltration, and the induction of epidermal antiprotei nase activity (SKALP/elafin) were used as markers for the inflammatory response. ODC induction was similar to that in other models of acute skin injury, such as tape-stripping and ultraviolet light radiation. T he amount of PMN infiltration correlated with erythema, but not with O DC induction, in contrast with findings in the tape-stripping model, n o induction of SKALP/elafin activity was found after SDS application. We conclude that cell proliferation as measured by ODC induction is a common feature in the various models for skin injury. Both the kinetic s and the intensity of the inflammatory response, and the induction of epidermal antiproteinase activity, appear to vary, depending on the s pecific model.