Inammopharmacology , Vol. 11, No. 3, pp. 267–276 (2003) Ó VSP 2003. Also available online - www.vsppub.com Reduced gingival uid ow: a peripheral marker of the pharmacological effect of roquinimex PIA LINDBERG 2 , ANITA BILLSTRÖM 1 and BERTIL KINNBY 2;¤ 1 Active Biotech AB, Lund, Sweden 2 School of Dentistry, Odontological Faculty, Malmö University College, S-205 06 Malmö, Sweden Received 10 February 2003; accepted 31 March 2003 Abstract —Objective : Roquinimex is a drug with effects on inammation and tumors. The pharmacological effect is not fully understood, and the molecular mechanism most characterized in vitro is an increase of plasminogen activator inhibitor type 2 (PAI-2) in human peripheral blood monocytes. The aims were to investigate peripheral pharmacological effects of roquinimex on peripheral blood monocytes and dog gingival uid (GCF). Design: Six dogs were used in a cross-over study. The amount of GCF was determined with a Periotron ® . The PAI-2 concentration in GCF was determined with ELISA. Monocytes were isolated from peripheral blood. Results : Dogs treated with the drug had signicantly lower GCF ow values and the PAI-2 concentration in GCF was higher, but no effect was seen on peripheral monocytes. Conclusion : Roquinimex treatment led to a consistently decreased ow rate of GCF and a higher local concentration of PAI-2 in GCF. Key words: Roquinimex; gingival tissue; gingival uid; Plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI-2); dog. 1. INTRODUCTION Roquinimex (Linomide, ABR-212616) is an orally administered compound which has anti-tumor effects shown by its ability to inhibit tumor angiogenesis in rats (Vukanovic and Isaacs, 1995) and by its inhibitory effect on migration and prolif- eration of endothelial cells in vitro (Parenti et al., 1996). The drug has also been shown to have effects on various inammatory conditions (Karussis et al., 1993, 1994), e.g. multiple sclerosis, which is a uctuating disease, therefore requiring a long follow-up time to evaluate a drug effect on the disease. Thus, there is great need for a method to detect early pharmacological effects of the drug. Several clinical ¤ To whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel.: (46-40) 665-8590; e-mail: Bertil.Kinnby @od.mah.se