Drug – bio-affecting and body treating compositions – Deodorants
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-01
2001-06-26
Page, Thurman K. (Department: 1615)
Drug, bio-affecting and body treating compositions
Deodorants
C424S404000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06251381
ABSTRACT:
This invention relates to antibacterial and antifungal resin compositions which can be used in a wide range of applications requiring antibacterial and antifungal properties from the viewpoint of health and hygiene, such as various antimicrobial goods including wallpaper and sanitary products.
Moldings formed of polymeric resins essentially have relatively good antifungal properties, and are hence being used as surfacing materials for various building materials, household goods, insoles of shoes, and the like. In order to further improve their antifungal properties, it has been common practice to incorporate various antifungal agents, such as those of the arsenic, imidazole and thiazole types, in the polymeric resins (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 259054/'89 and 207090/'95).
However, as a result of the recently diversified use of resin products, it has become insufficient to inhibit the growth of fungi alone, and moreover there is a growing demand for products also having sufficient resistance to various kinds of bacteria such as
Staphylococcus aureus
and
Escherichia coli
. For example, fibrous materials capable of inhibiting the growth of methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus
(MRSA) which is posing a serious problem with hospital infection. Moreover, domestic appliances (e.g., refrigerators, washing machines and dish dryers) using plastic components having incorporated therein antibacterials for inhibiting the propagation of
Escherichia coli
are being put to practical use.
Examples of antibacterials incorporated in polymeric resins include Quaternary ammonium salts and biguanides (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 259054/'89 and 324070/'97). These antibacterials are effective against bacteria, but have no antifungal effect. In order to obtain polymeric resin products having antibacterial and antifungal properties, antifungal agents must be used in combination with them.
Meanwhile, in recent years, disposable diapers, whether for babies or for adults, are being increasingly used in place of cloth diapers, because of their excellent absorption capacity and convenience in handling. It is expected that, in future, demand for disposable diapers will continue to expand with the spread of their use. Generally, disposable diapers consist of a water-pervious facing sheet, a water-impervious backing sheet, and a water-absorbing layer interposed between these sheets. For the water-absorbing layer, there is used pulp, a highly water-absorbing polymer or the like.
Conventionally, three requirements concerning leakproofness of excretion, skin care and ease of use have been imposed on disposable diapers. Although all disposable diapers now appearing on the market meet these requirements almost satisfactorily, the existing state of the art is such that none of them have a sufficient deodorant function in eliminating the odor of urinary excretion. Generally, the odor of urinary excretion from babies is not very strong. However, adults, particularly those requiring diapers, are in a morbid state and are undergoing drug administration in many cases. Moreover, they are frequently in an unhygienic condition owing to inadequate care. For these reasons, their urinary excretion tends to emit an offensive odor. Accordingly, there is an increasing need for disposable diapers having excellent deodorant properties.
As to the cause for the generation of an offensive odor, it is believed that, by urea-hydrolyzing enzymes and other enzymes produced by skin flora bacteria and the like, urea and other compounds present in urine are decomposed to ammonia, methylamine and like compounds which are responsible for an offensive odor. Accordingly, in order to prevent an offensive odor arising from urinary excretion in the use of a disposable diaper, it is necessary to prevent the propagation of bacteria in the water-absorbing layer of the diaper. In order to solve this problem by adding antibacterials to the water-absorbing organic polymer, there have been proposed, for example, a method using Quaternary ammonium salts and/or biguanides (see Japanese Patent Publication No. 17058/'92) and a method using a Quaternary ammonium salt with silyl group (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 245954/'94).
However, since these antibacterials are scarcely effective against bacteria producing an enzyme (urease) capable of degrading urea and other compounds present in urea to ammonia, methylamine and the like, a satisfactory deodorant effect is not always contributed.
An object of the present invention is to provide a resin composition which exhibits not only an excellent antibacterial effect on both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, but also an excellent antifungal effect, and can hence been used in a wide range of applications requiring antibacterial and antifungal properties from the viewpoint of health and hygiene.
Another specific object of the present invention is to provide a water-absorbing deodorant resin composition which exhibits an excellent antibacterial effect on bacteria producing substances responsible for an offensive odor from urea and other compounds present in urine, particularly skin flora bacteria capable of producing urease, also shows a broad antibacterial spectrum against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, and is markedly effective in preventing the generation of an offensive odor arising from urinary excretion.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description.
According to the present invention, there is provided an antibacterial and antifungal resin composition comprising a polymeric resin and antibacterial bis-pyridinium compound of the general formula
wherein the two R
1
may be the same or different, and each represent an alkyl group of 1 to 18 carbon atoms or an alkenyl group of 3 to 18 carbon atoms; the two R
2
may be the same or different, and each represent a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, a hydroxyl group, an amino group, an alkyl group of 1 to 6 carbon atoms, or an alkoxy group of 1 to 3 carbon atoms; R
3
represents an alkylene group of 2 to 18 carbon atoms, an alkenylene group of 3 to 18 carbon atoms, or a phenylene or xylylene group which may optionally be substituted by an alkyl group of 1 to 18 carbon atoms, an alkoxy group of 1 to 6 carbon atoms, or an alkoxycarbonyl group of 2 to 6 carbon atoms; Y
1
represents —NHCO—, —CONH—, —NHCS—, —COO—, —COS—, —O— or —S—; Y
2
represents —CONH—, —NHCO—, —CSNH—, —OOC—, —SOC—, —O— or —S—; and X represents anions.
According to a specific embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a deodorant water-absorbing resin composition comprising a highly water-absorbing resin and antibacterial bis-pyridinium compound of the above general formula (I).
The antibacterial and antifungal resin compositions of the present invention will be more specifically described hereinbelow.
As used herein, the term “alkyl group” denotes a straight-chain or branched alkyl group, and examples thereof include methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, butyl, isobutyl, sec-butyl, pentyl, isopentyl, sec-pentyl, hexyl, heptyl, octyl, 2-ethylhexyl, nonyl, decyl, isodecyl, dodecyl, tetradecyl, hexadecyl and octadecyl, etc. From the viewpoint of antibacterial power, the alkyl groups represented by R
1
are preferably ones having 8 or more carbon atoms. The term “alkenyl group” denotes a straight-chain or branched alkenyl group, and examples thereof include allyl, methallyl, pentenyl, hexenyl, heptenyl, octenyl, nonenyl, decenyl, undecenyl, dodecenyl, tetradecenyl, hexadecenyl and octadecenyl, etc.
The term “alkoxy group” denotes an alkyloxy group in which the alkyl moiety has the above-described meaning, and examples thereof include methoxy, ethoxy, propoxy, isopropoxy, butoxy, isobutoxy, sec-butoxy and tert-butoxy.
The term “alkylene group” preferably denotes a group of the formula —(—CH
2
—)
n
—. In this formula, n is preferably in the range of 2 to 18 and more preferably 3 to 8.
The term “alkenylene group” comprehends, for exa
Kourai Hiroki
Kunikata Kensei
Maeda Takuya
Wada Kouji
Yoshida Munehiro
Howard S.
Inui Corporation
Page Thurman K.
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