psms were first described as a pro-inflammatory molecule. this role has been repeatedly demonstrated to be true. psms are able to induce the production of a variety of cytokines as well as induce neutrophils to migrate to sites of infection. psmε in "s. epidermidis" is known to influence the production of il-8. psmα in "s. aureus" has been shown to influence il-17 levels during infection.