Functional fibre products

Abstract: Functional fiber products are provided. The functional fiber products are those having adhered thereto a protein containing 20% to 40% by weight of serine as an amino acid component and those having adhered thereto sericin and deacetylated chitin.

Description: The present invention relates to functional fiber products. Particularly, the present invention is concerned with a fiber product having a skin care property. The "skin care property" as referred to herein indicates a property of protecting the skin and maintaining the skin in a moist state which is free of chapping. The skin of a human body protects the body from various external environments while lying at the boundary between the body and the environments. It has been made clear by studies that the lipid and free amino acid surrounding the horny cells which form an epidermal horny layer of the skin plays a role of a natural moisture retaining factor. Taking such a mechanism into account, various skin care cosmetics have heretofore been proposed and are in wide use for maintaining the skin in good condition and for preventing chapping of the skin, further for preventing surface exfoliation and deciduation of the horny layer caused by senescence of the skin. Recently, attempts have been proposed to make ordinary fiber products having the aforesaid functions required of cosmetics, and some clothes intended to attain the skin care effect during wearing have already been marketed. More particularly, it is known to use fibers consisting principally of protein or to apply collagen to fiber products. However, problems are encountered in the characteristics of the fibers themselves or in the skin care property. A fiber product which exhibits a satisfactory skin care property while retaining satisfactory characteristics of the constitutent fibers is not known yet. On the other hand, there have been known various fiber products having an antibacterial property (including antimold property and a deodorizing property). In the cases of fiber products to be used in direct contact with the skin, for example, such clothes as underwear, undershirts, socks, shirts, blouses, nightdresses and pyjamas and lingery, such bedclothes as sheets, pillowcases and quilt covers, and such medical and sanitary materials as bandages, diapers and bed sheets, if secretions such as sweat and the like adhere to those fiber products, they serve as a source of nutrition, causing the growth of various bacteria and molds which result in the emission of an offensive odor, or give rise to a state which is not desirable from the hygienic viewpoint. In an effort to solve such problems there has been conducted a treatment for applying various synthetic antibacterial agents such as biguanide derivatives or organosilicon-based quaternary ammonium salts to fiber products such to the fibers themselves or to textile fabrics, or imparting an antibacterial property to them by ionic dissociation of antibacterial metals (Ag, Cu, Zn) suppported on zeolite. In such fiber products obtained by those methods, however, the antibacterial agents used are not always safe to the human body, and in some particular applications, they cause contact dermatitis to humans, especially those having a delicate skin such as newborn babies. Thus, problems have been encountered in point of safety. As to some drugs, their use has been prohibited due to the occurrence of dioxin at the time of incineration. Thus, those antibacterial agents have been unsuitable as treating agents. Recently, in reply to the demand for a safer antibacterial and deodorizing'treatment or for providing a safer drug of a high molecular weight there have been proposed treating methods using as an antibacterial component a deacetylated chitin (hereinafter referred to as "chitosan") which is a natural substance (Japanese Patent Laid Open Nos. JP3-51369A, JP4-257301A, JP5-339801A and JP6-70803A). In these methods, however, chitosan is used as an antibacterial component, and for fixing it to fiber surfaces there is used a binder consisting principally of a synthetic resin which involves a problem in point of safety to the human body. Thus, even if the antibacterial effect and the washing durability in use of the treated fibrous materials are satisfied, no consideration is given to the human body, especially to the skin. This is the present situation and there has been a keen demand for improvement over these-problems. German patent numbers DE-C-7 275, DE-C-10 416, and DE-C-16 110 relate to the treatment of fibrous substances with silk. The third document relates to treatment of fibers with aqueous solutions of silk derivatives, such as silk waste. However, these documents do not state that a fiber product coated with a protein containing 20 to 40 wt% of serine would show improved skin care properties. Japanese patent application number JP-A-04 176 460 relates to fabrics which are useful in the prevention of bedsores. A combination of an indigo pigment, an antimicrobial agent and bactericide, and a raw cocoon shell make diapers which are highly durable. It is the object of the present invention to provide a fiber product which is superior in the skin care property and capable of retaining the characteristics of the fiber material used, imparting a satisfactory moisture retaining effect to the horny layer and maintaining a moist skin over a long period. The object of the present invention is achieved by a fiber product to be used in contact with the human skin and having sericin adhered thereto, said sericin comprising 20% to 40% by weight of serine as an amino acid component, wherein said sericin is obtainable by partial hydrolysis of sericin contained in silk fibers and is adhered to the fiber product in an amount of from 0.05% to 10% by weight. In the present invention, the use of sericin containing 20 to 40 w% of serine as an amino acid component ensures that when a textile product containing the said protein is in contact with the human skin, it maintains the horny layer of the skin highly hygroscopic to prevent the skin from becoming dry, thereby permitting the skin to be maintained in a moist state and preventing chapping and senescence of the skin. There are attained such outstanding effects. Sericin containing 20% to 40% by weight serine is obtainable by partial hydrolysis of sericin contained in silk fibers in accordance with a chemical scouring method or a fermentation scouring method, allowing it to be dissolved out and subsequently performing precipitation with a drug or any other suitable method to afford a sericin powder. As examples of the fiber materials which constitute the fiber product according to the present invention there are mentioned raw fibers, yarns, piles, cotton-like matters, woven and nonwoven fabrics, knitted goods and wool-planted cloths. As examples of the fiber product are included not only the ordinary underwear and undershirts but also such clothes as supporters for hands and legs, socks, stockings and gloves. The fiber product as referred to herein further covers wood' and paper products.. More particularly, any of, for example, synthetic fibers formed from thermoplastic polymers capable of forming fibers such as polyamides, polyesters, polyacrylonitriles and polyolefins, semisynthetic fibers such as acetate, as well as cellulosic fibers, animal fibers, and mixtures of these fibers, may be used as constituent fibers of the fiber product. Particularly, it is desirable to use synthetic fibers as essential constituent fibers. The amount of sericin, to be applied to the fiber product of the present invention is in the range of 0.05 to 10 wt%, preferably 0.2 to 3 wt%, based on the weight of the fibers used. If it is smaller than 0.05 wt%, it will be impossible to expect a moisture retaining effect,and even if it exceeds 3 wt%, no difference in effect will be recognized. As the method for application of the sericin there may be used a suitable means such as, for example, dipping, coating, spraying, or printing, using solution of the protein. The solution is preferably aqueous. It is possible to obtain the textile product in a dyed state, but in this case the protein applying operation should preferably be performed after the dyeing operation. In order to enhance the fixing of the sericin in the invention it may be adhered to the fiber product together with an adhereable resin: there also may be used any of, for example, acrylic, urethane, polyester and epoxy resins. It is preferable that an oil component, e. g. squalane, be used together with the sericin containing 20 to 40 wt% of serine. Such a combined use ensures affinity, permeability and the supply of nutrition with respect to the skin and further prevents the emission of moisture from the skin to thereby moderate the moisture and oil component in the skin. Particularly, in the case of using fibers essentially containing synthetic fibers such as polyester or nylon, it is possible to maintain the excellent physical properties inherent in the synthetic fibers, and develop a lasting hydrophilic nature. The fibers (fabric) thus treated may be combined with other suitable fibers (fabric). The following Examples illustrate the invention. Example 1 Tights obtained by weaving nylon yarn and Spandex yarn were immersed in a 3% aqueous sericin solution containing 25% of serine, then dehydrated using a centrifugal dryer and subsequently dried at 100°C for 3 minutes to apply 0.8 wt% of sericin to the fibers. The tights thus treated were put on by thirty women who had been chosen at random; and the women's skins were observed before and after wearing of the tights in accordance with the following evaluation conditions: (1) Clothes: tights (nylon/Spandex) (2) Wearing Period: 2 weeks (3) Evaluation: 1 ○ In two weeks after wearing, the knee, shank and heel portions were observed for the state of skin in accordance with the following fives stages: +2 ... very moist +1 ... moist 0 ... ordinary -1 ... chapping -2 ... heavy chapping 2 ○ In two weeks after wearing end also in one month, the skin surfaces (shank and thigh portions) were observed through microscope photographs. The results of evaluation are as shown in Tables 1 and 2. At the beginning, among thirty panel members, chapping was recognized in fifteen members, of which twelve members (80%) were found to exhibit a chapping remedying effect after wearing. From photographs of the skin surfaces there was observed exfoliation of horny layers before wearing, but after wearing it turned out that such exfoliation was remedied greatly. Panelists Site State before Wearing (Chapping) State after Wearing (Remedying Effect) A Knee -1 0 Shank -1 yes 0 yes Heel -1 0 B Knee -2 0 Shank -1 yes 0 yes Heel 0 0 C Knee 0 0 Shank 0 yes 0 yes Heel -2 2 1 D Knee 0 0 Shank -1 yes 0 yes Heel -1 0 E Knee -1 0 Shank 0 yes 0 no Heel -1 -1 F Knee -1 2 Shank -1 yes 0 yes Heel -1 0 G Knee -1 -1 Shank 0 yes 0 no Heel -1 -1 H Knee 0 0 Shank 0 no 0 Heel 0 0 I Knee -2 -1 Shank -2 yes -2 no Heel -1 -2 J Knee 0 0 Shank -1 yes 0 yes Heel -1 0 K Knee 0 0 Shank -1 yes 0 yes Heel -2 1 L Knee 0 0 Shank 0 no -1 Heel 0 0 M Knee 0 0 Shank 0 no 1 Heel 0 0 N Knee 0 0 Shank 0 no 1 Heel 0 0 O Knee 0 1 Shank -2 yes 1 yes Heel 0 1 Panelists Site State before Wearing (Chapping) State after Wearing (Remedying Effect) P Knee 0 0 Shank 0 no 0 Heel 0 0 Q Knee 0 0 Shank 0 no 0 Heel 0 0 R Knee -1 1 Shank -1 yes 2 yes Heel -2 1 S Knee 0 1 Shank 0 no 0 Heel 0 0 T Knee -1 2 Shank 0 yes 2 yes Heel -1 1 U Knee 1 1 Shank 1 no 1 Heel 1 1 V Knee 0 0 Shank 0 no 0 Heel 0 0 W Knee 0 0 Shank 0 no 0 Heel 0 -1 X Knee 0 0 Shank 0 no 0 Heel 0 0 Y Knee -2 1 Shank -1 yes 1 yes Heel 0 1 Z Knee 1 1 Shank 0 no 0 Heel 0 0 a Knee 0 0 Shank 0 no 1 yes Heel 0 0 b Knee -2 1 Shank . -2 yes 1 Heel -1 0 c Knee 0 0 Shank 0 no 0 Heel 0 0 d Knee 0 0 Shank 0 no 0 Heel 0 0

Claims: A fiber product to be used in contact with the human skin and having sericin adhered thereto, said sericin comprising 20% to 40% by weight of serine as an amino acid component, wherein said sericin is obtainable by partial hydrolysis of sericin contained in silk fibers in accordance with a chemical or fermentation scouring method, allowing the sericin to be dissolved out; and subsequently precipitated to afford a sericin powder and wherein the sericin is adhered to the fiber product in an amount of from 0.05% to 10% by weight. A fiber product as claimed in claim 1 wherein said sericin is adhered to the fiber product in an amount from 0.2% to 3% by weight. A fiber product as claimed in claim 1 wherein the sericin is adhered to the fiber product together with an adhereable resin. A fiber product according to any preceding claim which includes an oil component. A fiber product according to claim 4 wherein the oil component comprises squalane.

Inventors: NOGATA AKIHIRO, NOMURA MASAKAZU, YAMADA HIDEYUKI, NOGATA, AKIHIRO, NOMURA, MASAKAZU, YAMADA, HIDEYUKI
Applicants: SEIREN CO LTD, SEIREN CO., LTD.
Application year: 1996
Main classification: D06M15
IPC codes: D06M23, A61K8, D06M101, D01F1, D06M13, A61Q5, D06M15, A61L2, A01N59, D06M16, C08B37, A61Q19, A01N63, A61Q15, A61Q17