Ground Substance
- Ground substance is the hydrated, gel-like matrix material that surrounds cells and fibers rather than forming visible strands.
- Amorphous means lacking a fixed visible shape, so amorphous ground substance is organized chemically even though it does not look like a fiber.
- Hydration of ground substance allows tissues to act like water-rich cushions, especially where compression is common.
- Ground substance supports diffusion, which is movement of dissolved materials through fluid from one region to another.
- Matrix molecules in ground substance can bind water, trap ions, bind growth signals, and influence how cells attach to their surroundings.
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