Hygiene tissue

Abstract

A hygiene tissue to be used for cleaning and caring of the skin and the urogenital area, simultaneously delivers lactic acid producing bacteria, thereby establishing and maintaining a healthy microbial flora in these areas. The hygiene tissue is impregnated with a composition including a lactic acid producing bacterium / bacteria suspended in a lipid and optionally additional components. Encapsulating the lactic acid producing bacterium in a lipid provides a moisturefree environment enhancing the survival of the bacterium and keeping the bacterium fit for growth after delivery to the skin. By this approach, hygiene tissues, including lactic acid producing bacteria can be stored for long time periods. Also, the hygiene tissue improves the efficiency of transfer of the lactic acid producing bacterium to the skin and urogenital area. In addition, the lipid provides a cleaning function, so that the skin is cleaned simultaneously as the lactic acid bacteria is delivered.

Description

[0001] This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. .sctn.119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60 / 339,386 entitled PRODUCT and filed on Dec. 13, 2001, the entire content of which is hereby incorporated by reference.[0002] 1. Field of the Invention[0003] The present invention relates to hygiene tissues to be used to establish and maintain a beneficial microbial flora on the skin and the urogenital area in combination with cleaning and caring of these areas.[0004] 2. Background of the Invention[0005] The urogenital area harbors a complex microbial ecosystem comprising more than 50 different bacterial species (Hill et al., Scand. J. Urol. Nephrol. 1984;86 (suppl.) 23-29). The dominating species in this area are lactic acid producing bacteria belonging to the genus Lactobacillus. These lactic acid producing members are important for retaining a healthy microbial flora in these areas, and act as probiotic bacteria with an antagonistic effect against pathogenic microbial species...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0017] There is still a need to develop products for delivery of lactic acid producing bacteria to the skin and urogenital area that are convenient to use, result in efficient transfer of the bacteria to the area where they are applied and can be stored for long time periods without loss of viability of the bacterial cells.

[0018] An object of the present invention is to provide a convenient device for the delivery of lactic acid producing bacteria to the skin and urogenital area. This is obtained by providing a hygiene tissue, comprising viable lactic acid producing bacteria, that can be used for cleaning and caring the skin while simultaneously delivering the lactic acid producing bacteria, to establish and maintain a beneficial microflora on the skin and the urogenital area. In order to provide products that can be stored for long time periods, without loss of viability of the lactic acid producing bacteria, the bacterial cells are suspended in a lipid that protects the bacteria from moisture. Also an object of the present invention is to provide moisture impervious packing units comprising the hygiene tissue of the invention.

[0019] One preferred embodiment of the present invention pertains to a hygiene tissue to be used for cleaning and caring of the skin and the urogenital area simultaneously as it delivers lactic acid producing bacteria, thereby establishing and maintaining a healthy microbial flora in these areas. The hygiene tissue is impregnated with a composition comprising a lactic acid producing bacterium / bacteria suspended in a lipid and optionally additional components. The present inventors surprisingly found that encapsulating the lactic acid bacterium in a lipid provided a moisturefree environment keeping the bacterium in a shape that resulted in enhanced longevity, high transfer rates to the skin, and still keeping fitness for survival and growth on the skin. Therefore, by this approach, bacterial survival was enhanced during long term storage. Also, the hygiene tissue of the preferred embodiment improved the efficiency of transfer of the lactic acid producing bacterium to the skin and urogenital area, simultaneously as the lipid served as a cleaning agent with skin caring properties. Furthermore, the embodiment relates to an impervious packing unit comprising the hygiene tissue described above.

[0056] Preferably, a liquid lipid is used in the present invention. More preferred lipids include olive oil, canola oil, coconut oil, palm kernel oil, peanut oil, soy bean oil, Dimethicone, paraffin oil, and petrolatum. These lipids are especially preferred because they provide high survival of lactic acid bacteria and high transfer rates of the bacteria to the skin and urogenital area. In addition, these lipids have positive effects on the skin; they have a soothing effect, show skin-protective properties, and are non-toxic and non-allergenic. The preferred lipids are all of non-animal origin.

Problems solved by technology

However, the microbial ecosystem of a healthy individual can be disturbed by the use of antibiotics, in people suffering from diabetes, during hormonal changes, such as during pregnancy or use of contraceptives with estrogen, during menstruation, after menopause, etc.

Also, microorganisms can spread from the anus to the urogenital area, thereby causing infections.

This results in a disturbance of the normal microbial flora and leaves the individual susceptible to microbial infections that cause vaginitis, urinary tract infections and ordinary skin infections.

Women are at particular risk due to their shorter distance between the anus and the urogenital tract; specially at risk are young women, who not yet have a well developed microflora in the urogenital area and older women, who no longer have a protective flora.

The relative dryness of most areas of skin limits the growth of Candida, which therefore are found in low numbers on healthy skin.

However Candida rapidly colonizes damaged skin and intertriginous sites (apposed skin sites which are moist and become chafed).

However, excessive use of cleaning agents not only decrease the amount of harmful microbes, but can harm the beneficial microbial flora, again render it susceptible for pathogenic species to colonize and cause infections.

However, absorbent articles may not always be an optimal administration route, since carrying of an absorbent article often is apprehended as uncomfortable, indiscrete and warm.

This administration route can also be inconvenient as repeated administration of lactic acid producing bacteria often is necessary to retain the efficacy of the treatment or the preventative effect.

Also, these products are not generally used for delivery of the bacteria to other regions of the body than the urogenital area.

A second problem with administration of lactic acid producing bacteria via absorbent articles relates to the manufacturing of such products, since a wide selection of variants and sizes of the product have to be supplied with the bacteria.

However, a problem with providing articles intended to be used for transfer of lactic acid producing bacteria, is that the bacteria have to retain viability during transport and storage of the articles.

However, the bacteria still have to be protected against moisture during the time between manufacturing and use.

(Mikrobiologiia, 2000, 69:98-104) found that immersion in mineral oil was not effective to preserve viability of lactic acid producing bacteria.

However, the object of using compositions described in WO01 / 13956 is to treat microbial infections by adding components that kill undesirable microorganisms and the Emu oil is not added to enhance survival of bacteria included in the compositions.

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