Full Length Research Paper

Bioconversion of meloxicam by bacteria

G. Shyam Prasad*, K. Narasimha Rao, S. Girisham and S. M. Reddy

Department of Microbiology, Kakatiya University, Warangal- 506009, Andhra Pradesh, India.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: shyamprasad1919@yahoo.com.

Phone: +91 970 503 7655.

Accepted 26 January, 2009

   Abstract

Bioconversion of an anti-inflammatory drug meloxicam was investigated by employing twelve bacterial strains representing six genera. Among the bacterial cultures screened, Bacillus subtilis MTCC 441 and Pseudomonas putida NCIM 2782 could transform meloxicam to 5-hydroxy methyl meloxicam. Whereas, other bacterial cultures under study failed to transform meloxicam. The progress of the transformation was confirmed by HPLC, and based on LC-MS data and previous reports, the metabolite was predicted to be 5-hydroxy methyl meloxicam.

Key words: Biotransformation, meloxicam, 5-hydroxy methyl meloxicam, bacteria.