Microbiological transformation of diclofenac

Microbiological transformation of diclofenac has been investigated using nineteen microbial species. The study showed that most organisms metabolized diclofenac sodium to different extents, to yield three metabolites that were identified by 2D NMR and MS analyses. The major metabolite was found to be 4hydroxydiclofenac while the other two were 5-hydroxydiclofenac and 4hydroxydiclofenac lactam. The three metabolites were also obtained as mammalian metabolites of diclofenac sodium, lending further support to the concept of microbial models of mammalian drug metabolism