Patent ID: 8637266

Claim:
A method of identifying a compound useful for treating a disease or condition of the oral cavity, the method comprising: obtaining a first gingival sample from a mammal suffering from a disease or condition of the oral cavity; obtaining a second gingival sample from the oral cavity of said mammal; contacting said first sample with a test compound; contacting said second sample with a positive control, wherein said positive control is a compound known to down-regulate the expression of one or more matrix metalloproteinases wherein said positive control is a halogenated diphenylether; measuring the extent to which the expression of one or more of said matrix metalloproteinases is down-regulated by said test compound; measuring the extent to which the expression of one or more of said matrix metalloproteinases is down-regulated by said positive control; and comparing the extent to which the expression of one or more of said matrix metalloproteinases is down-regulated by said test compound, with the extent to which the expression of one or more of said matrix metalloproteinases is down-regulated by said positive control; wherein a test compound that down-regulates the expression of one or more of said matrix metalloproteinases to an equal or greater extent than said positive control, is a compound useful in treating a disease or condition of the oral cavity.