Distributor for compositions of semi-chemicals that are regulated by temperature

Description

INTRODUCTION

[0001] The present invention describes novel formulations of semiochemical compounds for mammals in wick diffusers that are particularly effective in regulating the diffusion of several semiochemicals with different volatilities over long periods of time and independently of temperature and humidity conditions.

[0002] The problem of calming animals, whether pets or livestock, is an important issue that has been widely studied in the prior art. Indeed, the products used represent a significant economic burden and there is a need for owners to combat the unpleasant behaviors and symptoms of domestic animals, in particular dogs and / or cats, and for breeders there is an economic interest in calming production animals in order to increase their productivity and well-being.

[0003] Semiochemical compounds are pure or mixed chemical substances used by a large number of animal species to communicate. Semiochemicals are divided into different classes depending on the nature of the transmitter or receiver. When the transmitter and receiver are individuals of the same species, they are called pheromones. The terms pheromones and semiochemicals will be used interchangeably in this application.

[0004] Since the early 1990s, it has been shown that some mammals such as cats, dogs, pigs, and horses are sensitive to certain species-specific pheromones. These pheromones generally consist of a mixture of fatty acids or esters with relatively high boiling points.

[0005] Reference may be made to patents WO 201514063A1; WO1996023414A1; WO1999037297A1, WO2004000336A1 or GB2345635 for the description of such pheromones and to understand their use.

[0006] The principle of using these pheromones is to mimic what animals themselves do when, for example, they mark their territory. For example, the applicant has developed sprays containing alcoholic pheromone solutions that can be applied to any type of surface. Once the alcohol has evaporated, the pheromones will remain on the surface and be detectable by the animal, which will then believe it is in marked territory, which calms it.

[0007] Another example of application is the use of wick diffusers. These diffusers consist of a bottle filled with a paraffin solution of pheromones that elutes along the wick. The outer part of the wick is located in an air gap heated by a resistor. The action of the heat on the wick dissipates the formulation into the habitat. The pheromones are deposited on all surfaces in the room, which has the effect of reassuring the animal there.

[0008] Paraffin formulations used today have pheromone mass concentrations of around 2 to 5%. This means that 95 to 98% of the substance emitted into the room is paraffin.

[0009] We then understand the importance of the choice of paraffin which must be absolutely neutral so as not to disturb the animal's behavior, not to mention disadvantages which could affect the perception of the product by the animal's owner.

[0010] However, recently, liquid paraffins have been subject to the classification of toxic products in the event of pulmonary aspiration due to their very low viscosity at low shear gradient. This means that all products manufactured with said paraffins must be labeled, which affects the perception of current wick diffusers.

[0011] On the other hand, to be effective, pheromones must be diffused regularly over time, and this diffusion must not vary over time depending on the temperature or humidity in the environment in which they are diffused.

[0012] It is therefore important to find alternatives to these paraffins.

[0013] The applicant therefore sought to find solvents which have the following range of properties: Non-toxic solvent (for humans or the environment) Solvent with boiling point > 200°C under atmospheric pressure Solvent without side effects for domestic use (no deterioration of wood, plastic or their coatings) Solvent compatible with mammalian pheromones Solvent capable of diffusing according to the same characteristics as paraffins (temperature of diffusers and materials of wick bottles).

[0014] Among the solvents having at least the first 2 characteristics, the applicant has identified polyesters, such as Rhodiasolve ™<, or polyglycols, such as Dowanol ™< or Solvenon ™<, or such as 2-ethylhexylal and tetraoxaundecane.

[0015] None of these solvents meet the entire specification. For example, polyesters are extremely polar and tend to degrade plastics (e.g., PVC), making them incompatible with diffusion in a modern home. In the case of polyethers, the first four points of the specification can be met, but the last is problematic. Indeed, when a paraffin is replaced weight for weight by a polyether with the same boiling point, diffusion kinetics can be observed that can be up to twice as fast.

[0016] To solve this latter problem, the applicant found that polymeric viscosifying agents could be advantageously used to adjust the diffusion kinetics without changing the other performances according to the specifications.

[0017] EP 3 187 046-A1 describes a composition comprising a volatile semiochemical substance and acrylic block copolymer polymeric viscosifiers. This composition does not comprise a solvent. DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] Thus the present invention describes an animal pheromone formulation characterized in that it comprises: a) A polyether type solvent, b) An animal pheromone, c) A polymeric viscosifier, wherein the polymeric viscosifier is a block copolymer containing an acrylic block and at least one methyl methacrylate block. The invention is as set forth in the appended set of claims.

[0019] Such formulations of semiochemical compounds for mammals prove particularly effective in wick diffusers to regulate the diffusion of several semiochemicals with different volatilities over long periods of time and independently of temperature and humidity conditions.

[0020] According to a particular embodiment, the formulation comprises between 85 and 98% by weight of polyether type solvent.

[0021] According to a particular embodiment, the formulation comprises from 0.1 to 15% by weight of animal pheromone.

[0022] According to a particular embodiment, the formulation comprises between 0.1 and 10% by weight of polymeric viscosifier.

[0023] According to a more specific embodiment, these are formulations of animal pheromones, in particular for wick diffusers, characterized in that they contain: from 85 to 99% of a polyether type solvent, from 1 to 15% of animal pheromone, and from 0.1 to 10% of polymeric viscosifier.

[0024] According to the invention, the percentages are expressed by weight of the total weight of the formulation, unless otherwise indicated.

[0025] Preferably, the solvent according to the invention is a polyether with a boiling point above 200°C, and more preferably, the solvent is Dowanol ™< TPnB or a chemical equivalent of another brand, tetraoxaundecane or 2-ethylhexylal.

[0026] More specifically, the viscosifying polymers used for these formulations are polymers or copolymers with an average molecular weight greater than 10,000 g / mol and less than 100,000 g / mol. They are particularly poorly soluble in polyethers.

[0027] By poorly soluble polymer, the applicant means a polymer whose solubility in polyether does not exceed 0.5% at an ambient temperature of 20°C but which may be soluble at more than 5% at a temperature above 50°C.

[0028] Even more preferably, the polymeric viscosifiers are block copolymers containing one acrylate block and two methyl methacrylate blocks. In particular, the viscosifying polymers may be even more preferably chosen from the Nanostrength™ brand polymers developed by Arkema.

[0029] The formulations are further characterized in that they contain between 0.1% and 10% of pheromone, preferably between 0.5% and 5%, by weight.

[0030] The pheromones that can be used in the invention are all mammalian pheromones. Preferably, the pheromones are mammalian appeasing pheromones. They are in particular fatty chain mammalian pheromones, and more particularly still mammalian pheromones of the fatty acid or ester type chosen from the group consisting of fatty acids having 7 to 20 carbon atoms, fatty diacids such as pimelic acid or azelaic acid, alkylglycerols (AKG) or their derivatives and 2-methyl but-2-enal.

[0031] Among these animal pheromones, we can for example cite: soothing pheromones, such as the F3 fraction (facial pheromone) for the cat obtained according to patent EP0724832B1, or pheromones mimicking the natural pheromones of the lactating female, as described in WO9937297 (for example marketed in products such as Adaptil ®< , Suilence ®< ), Feliway ™< Friends containing the CAP fraction (Cat Appeasing Pheromone), or compositions containing alkyl glycerols, such as erucic alcohol, chemilic alcohol or their acetals obtained with 2-methyl but-2-enal.

[0032] The person skilled in the art will also add any stabilizer, such as in particular antioxidants or anti-UV agents, which in particular makes it possible to preserve the integrity of the mixture throughout the duration of use according to what is already widely described in the prior art.

[0033] The antioxidants may be selected from the group consisting of vitamin E, butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), used alone or in a mixture. These antioxidants protect the semiochemical substance from degradation and may be added in amounts, as a percentage by weight of the composition, ranging from about 0.1% to about 3%, particularly between 0.5 and 2%.

[0034] The anti-UV additives may be selected from the group consisting of beta-carotene, p-aminobenzoic acid, hindered amines and hindered alkoxyamines used alone or in mixtures. These anti-UV agents protect the semiochemicals from degradation by light and may be added in amounts, as a percentage by weight of the composition, ranging from about 0.1% to about 3%, particularly between 0.5 and 2%.

[0035] The present invention also relates to a wick diffuser containing the formulation according to the present invention as described above.

[0036] Such formulations are advantageously used in wick diffusers for the purpose of calming animals in living spaces or for breeding. EXAMPLES Example 1 : Material and manufacturing method

[0037] The diffusers are made from commercial PET bottles with a capacity of 50 ml, capped with a polyamide or polypropylene wick holder.

[0038] The drill bits used are commercial wood composite drill bits available from manufacturers such as Shangai Prima.

[0039] The additive polymers are NanoStrength block copolymers manufactured by Arkema, which are self-assembling block copolymers that structure at the nanometric scale. The commercial references for these products are: nano strength ™< M22 and M53.

[0040] Dowanol™< TpnB solvent is purchased from Unipex, the European distributor of these products. Its official name is 1-[(2-Butoxy-1-methylethoxy)-1-methylethoxy]-2-propanol. This solvent is not hazardous to humans or the environment.

[0041] The cold and hot solubilities of these polymers in Dowanol™< TpnB are given in the following table: M22 M53 Solubility at 20°C (% weight) 0.012% 0.029% Hot solubility (100°C) (% weight) >5% >7%

[0042] Polymers M22 and M53 therefore meet the definition of the invention. They have the particularity of not being soluble when cold (therefore not viscosifying the solution when cold, but only viscosifying the solution when hot). Example 2 :

[0043] The formulations of the following examples are manufactured according to the following process: The Dowanol ™< TpnB solution containing the pheromone is prepared in a double-jacketed stirred reactor.

[0044] This mixture is heated to 70°C and then the desired amount of additive M53 polymer is added and stirred at 70°C until the polymer is completely dissolved. The temperature of the mixture is then brought back to room temperature.

[0045] The bottles are then filled to a height of 48g per bottle and then capped with the wick holder, the wick and the screw cap.

[0046] A bottle of commercial Feliway™ is used as a reference.

[0047] The following table summarizes the mixtures which were manufactured according to the invention under these conditions: Example Reference 2A 2B 2C 2D 2E 2F (witness) Animal Cat Cat Cat Cat Dog Horse - Solution (ml) 48 48 48 48 48 48 48 Pheromone (g) 0.972 1 1 1 1 1 1 Solvent (nature) Paraffin TPnB TPnB TPnB TPnB TPnB TPnB Solvent (g) 45.1 43.6 43.6 43.6 43.6 43.6 43.6 M53 (g) 0 0.22 0.044 0.088 0.22 0.22 0 Example 3 : Comparison of evaporation kinetics as a function of composition in ventilated ovens

[0048] In order to compare the evaporation kinetics, all samples are on a holding wall so that all samples evaporate under the same conditions. The ambient temperature of the room where the experiment is carried out is between 21 and 23°C.

[0049] The experiment is repeated 10 times in order to have a statistical analysis of the evaporation times. The weights of each bottle are then evaluated and the quantity evaporated since the beginning of the experiment is deduced. The half-life times corresponding to 90% diffusion are reported in the following table. Reference 2A 2B 2C 2F T50 (j) 15 (+ / - 1) 21 (+ / - 2) 12 (+ / - 1) 16 (+ / - 1) 9 (+ / -1) T90 (j) 28 (+ / -5) 39 (+ / -8) 23 (+ / -4) 30 (+ / -4) 18 (+ / -3)

[0050] The results illustrate the following phenomena: The kinetics of the 2F formulation is 1.6 times faster than that of the reference. This illustrates the more polar nature of Dowanol ™< TpnB compared to the solvent used in the reference. Indeed, the kinetics is mainly related to the elution of the formulation in the composite wick.

[0051] The diffusion time in formulations 2F, 2B, 2C and 2A increases and this increase is linearly dependent on the polymer content in the formulas.

[0052] It is noted that the rate of 0.2% of M53 polymer makes it possible to make the diffusion kinetics equivalent to that of the reference.

Claims

1. Animal pheromone formulation, characterized in that it comprises: a) A polyether solvent, b) An animal pheromone, and c) A polymeric viscosifying agent, wherein the polymeric viscosifying agent is a block copolymer containing an acrylic block and at least one methyl methacrylate block.

2. Formulation according to claim 1, characterized in that it contains between 85 and 98% by weight of solvent.

3. Formulation according to one of claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the solvent has a boiling point of greater than 200°C.

4. Formulation according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it contains between 0.1 and 10%, preferably 0.5 and 5%, by weight of animal pheromone.

5. Formulation according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it contains between 0.1 and 10% by weight of polymeric viscosifying agent.

6. Formulation according to claim 5, characterized in that the polymeric viscosifying agent is a polymer with a molecular mass of between 10,000 g / mol and 100,000 g / mol.

7. Formulation according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the pheromones are mammalian calming pheromones.

8. Formulation according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the solvent is selected from among 1-[(2-Butoxy-1-methylethoxy)-1- methylethoxy]-2-propanol, 2-ethylhexylal, tetraoxaundecane and a mixture thereof.

9. Wick diffuser containing the formulation according to any one of claims 1 to 8.