<i>In vitro </i>and <i>in vivo </i>antimycobacterial activity of antiinflammatory drug, diclofenac sodium

Abstract

The non-steroidal antiinflammatory drug diclofenac sodium exhibited remarkable inhibitory action against both drug sensitive and drug resistant clinical isolates of <i>Mycobacterium tuberculosis, </i>as well as other mycobacteria. This agent was tested <i>in vitro </i>against 45 different strains of mycobacteria, most of which were inhibited by the drug at 10-25 μg/ml concentration. When tested <i>in vivo, </i>diclofenac, injected at 10 mg/kg body weight of a Swiss strain of white mice, could significantly protect them when challenged with a 50 median lethal dose of <i>M. tuberculosis </i>H₃₇ Rv102. According to Chisquare test, the <i>in vivo</i> data were highly significant (<i>P<</i>0.01).