Natural fluorescent dye obtained from a marine invertebrate,...

Details Natural fluorescent dye obtained from a marine invertebrate,... Natural fluorescent dye obtained from a marine invertebrate,...

2001-03-30

2003-06-24

Tate, Christopher R. (Department: 1651)

Drug, bio-affecting and body treating compositions

Extract, body fluid, or cellular material of undetermined...

C424S547000, C424S574000, C435S004000, C435S968000, C008S648000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06582730

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a novel fluorescent dye obtained from a marine animal invertebrate,
Holothuria scabra
. The present invention also provides a process for the extraction, purification, and characterization of this novel dye, which is a natural dye from marine invertebrate, especially the sea cucumber.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Sea cucumbers are echinoderms, members of the group of spiny skinned animals that also includes Starfishes and sea urchins. The sea cucumber has the following taxonomic position:
Subkingdom: Metazoa
Phylum: Echinodermata
Sub-Phylum: Eleutherozoa
Class: Holothuroidea
Subclass: Aspidochirotacea, Dendrochirotacea, Apodacea
Order: Dendrochirota, Aspidochirota, Elasipoda, Molpadonia and Apoda
Of these orders, the sea cucumber
Holothuria scabra
belongs to:
Order: Aspidochirota
Family: Holothuroidea
Genus: Holothuria
Species:
scabra
Echinoderms are coelomate invertebrates which are exclusively marine, are never colonial, are unsegmented with a basic pentameric radial, are symmetrical in the adult form, have no head or brain, and are distinguished from all other animals by structural peculiarities of the skeleton and coelom. The class Holothuroidea has animals with a bilaterally symmetrical body and are usually elongated in the oral-aboral axis having a mouth at or near one end and an anus at or near the other end. The body surface is coarse. The endoskeleton is reduced to microscopic spicules or plates embedded in the body wall, the mouth is surrounded by a set of tentacles attached to a water vascular system, the podia or tube feet are usually present and locomotory, the alimentary canal is long and coiled and cloaca usually with respiratory trees and the sexes are usually separate and either gonad single or paired tuft of tubules. They are sedentary and either attach themselves to hard substrate or burrow into soft sediments with anterior and posterior ends projected. They occur in all seas, chiefly in shallow waters. A few species occur in depths greater than 1000 meters. The species
Holothuria scabra
, also called by some as
Metriatyla scabra
Jaegea, is widely distributed in East Africa, the Red Sea, the Bay of Bengal, East India, Australia, Japan, the South Pacific, the Philippines, the Indian Ocean, and other Indo-Pacific regions. It is used for human/animal consumption in Sabah, Malaysia and Indonesia and other Indo-Pacific countries.
Pigments are categorized as inorganic or organic. Inorganic pigments are inorganic chemistry compounds which are used for various decorative and painting purposes, etc. Organic pigments such as organic dyes date back to the ancient times. The use of dyes from plants like Brazil wood, long-wood, Persian berry indigo, and madder are reported from near east and far eastern countries even before Biblical times. (George L. Clark, 1966 “Encyclopaedia of Chemistry, 2
nd
ed. Pages 833-835). Debra K. Hobson and David S. Wales describe “Green dyes” which are produced as secondary metabolites from some groups of living organisms like fungi, blue green algae, sea urchins, star fishes arthropods, and coral reef coelenterates. (Journal of the Society of Dyers and Colourists (JSDC), 114, 42-44, 1998). These are anthraquinone compounds, historically of crucial importance in the dyestuffs industry. Stainsfile—Dyes A gives a Dye Index of 264 dyes, out of which only six are natural dyes from all types of living organisms. (http://members.pgonline.com/~bryand/dyes/dyes.htm).
Recently, several patents have issued regarding natural dyes. A majority of them are from plants. Wrolstad, et al. describe a natural colorant from potato extract. (U.S. Pat. No. 6,180,154 issued on Jan. 30, 2001). Shrikhande disclosed the extraction and intensification of anthocyanins from grape pomace and other material. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,452,822 issued Jun. 5, 1984). Lenoble, et al. described a new composition to enhance the red color of anthocyanin pigment. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,908,650 issued Jun. 1, 1999).
Carotenoid-producing bacterial species are disclosed in two U.S. patents—U.S. Pat. No. 5,935,808 issued on Aug. 10, 1999 to Hirschberg, et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,858,761 issued on Jan. 12, 1999 to Tsubokura, et al. Collin disclosed sea cucumber carotenoid processing methods and compositions for lipid fractions. (U.S. Pat. No. 6,055,936 issued on May 2, 2000).
However, these colorants and dyes are not fluorescent. Fluorescent dyes, most of which are synthetic, are disclosed in several U.S. and International patents. These fluorescent dyes have been used in a variety of applications. The amount of patents in this field show the importance of these dyes.
Synthetic parazoanthoxanthin A (m.w. 214.2), emitting fluorescence at lambda (em) 420 nm, was found to be a pure competitive inhibitor of cholinesterases. Sepcic et al., Toxicon, 36(6):937-940, 1998. Welch disclosed a luminescent golf ball. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,989,135 issued on Nov. 23, 1999). White et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 6,110,566 issued on Aug. 29, 2000 and International Patent WO/9920688) described a flexible polyvinyl chloride film that exhibits durable fluorescent color.
Dipietro disclosed the use of fluorescent polymeric pigments in a variety of paints, inks, and textiles. (International Patent WO/9938916). Cramer described a composition containing fluorescent dye for bleaching and brightening polymers. (International Patent EP0206718).
Fluorescent leak detection dye is another utility disclosed by some skilled in the art. (U.S. Pat. No. 6,056,162 issued on May 2, 2000 to Leighley). In addition, Cooper et al. disclosed a full spectrum fluorescent dye composition for the same purpose. (U.S. Pat. No. 6,165,384 issued on Dec. 26, 2000).
Lichtwardt et al. disclose the use of a fluorescent dye in an automated chemical metering system. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,902,749 issued on May 11, 1999).
The reports from marine animals are few. A green fluorescent protein GFP, a novel reporter gene, has been described from the pacific jellyfish
Aequova aequora
. (Shimomura, et al., Journal of Cellular and Comparative Physiology, 59, 223-239, 1962). GFP is characterized by the presence of a highly fluorescent chromatophore. Purified GFP absorbs blue light maximally at 395 nm with a minor peak at 470 nm and also emits green light. Sepcic et al. reported a fluorescent zoanthid pigment, parazoanthoxanthin A. Toxicon, 36(6):937-940, 1998.
Marine dyes have several uses as dyes on their own and as a part of compositions.
Several authors have disclosed fluorescent dye blends for multiple purposes. (E.g., Burns, et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,920,429 issued on Jul. 6, 1999 and Burns, et al. International Patent AU/704112). Marine dye compositions have been used in a number of applications to mark the location of crashed aircraft, life rafts, and military equipment (e.g., rockets). The dye commonly used is fluorescein, which is a water-soluble synthetic dye. Different compositions of the dye for better efficiency and longer duration of fluorescence in diluted form are under trials. (Swinton Robert J., U.S. Pat. No. 5,405,416 issued on Apr. 11, 1995 and International Patent WO/9010044 published on Jul. 7, 1990). Hyosu, et al. has prepared fluorescent colored resin particles. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,016,133 issued on Apr. 5, 1977).
Another use of marine dyes as undersea probes is reported by Crosby, et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,321,268 issued on Jun. 14, 1994. The probe device described includes a central optical fiber containing a fluorescent dye enclosed in a transparent or translucent, protective and fouling resistant sheath. This sheath can be attached to a marine animal for collecting data as to light intensity and temperature in regions where the marine animals travel.
Some authors have used UVA in photochemotherapy for skin cancers. Kowalzick, et al. disclose PUVA-bath photochemotherapy in lymphomatoid papulosis (a skin cancer) where UVA treatment has shown improvement. (Elsevier Science B. V., 2000). UVA sunbeds are widely used by patients with psoriasis.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,210,275 issued on May 11, 1993, Sabatell

Affiliated with

Also associated with

Rating

Natural fluorescent dye obtained from a marine invertebrate,... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.

If you have personal experience with Natural fluorescent dye obtained from a marine invertebrate,..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Natural fluorescent dye obtained from a marine invertebrate,... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3090966