JP7029481B2 - Weapon layer sampling detection kit - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a horny layer collection detection kit for detecting a specific component from the horny layer of the skin.

Conventionally, as shown in, for example, Patent Documents 1, 2 and 3, a specific component is detected from the stratum corneum of the skin, and the skin properties, that is, a rough skin state and a parakeratosis state, are detected based on the measured amount of the component. It has been proposed to judge such things at the biochemical level. The skin properties determined in this way include rough skin, for example, skin aging caused by irradiation with ultraviolet rays, dry skin due to a decrease in skin moisturizing power due to a decrease in skin barrier function, and parakeratosis due to psoriasis and atopic dermatitis. Rough skin due to psoriasis can be mentioned.

More specifically, Patent Documents 1 and 2 describe squamous cell carcinoma-related antigens (hereinafter referred to as “SCCA”) of skin stratum corneum cells, more particularly SCCA-1 and / or SCCA-2, in particular. It has been shown that the expression of SCCA-1 is measured quantitatively or qualitatively to determine the degree of skin sensitivity, reactivity and sensitivity.

Further, Patent Document 3 shows that a skin disease or sensitive skin is examined by measuring the abundance of nerve growth factor and / or neurotrophic factor 4 in a stratum corneum sample.

In order to determine the properties of the skin as described above, it is first necessary to collect a skin stratum corneum sample, but in Patent Documents 1 to 3, a skin stratum corneum sample is collected by a so-called tape stripping method. It is shown to do. The tape stripping method is a method of collecting a horny layer sample by attaching a piece of adhesive tape to the surface layer of the skin, peeling it off, and attaching the horny layer of the skin to the peeled adhesive tape.

Japanese Patent No. 5059600 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2007-279024 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-028698

Although the tape stripping method described above can be easily carried out, there is still room for improvement in terms of the accuracy of detecting a specific component of the skin stratum corneum. That is, the tape piece from which the skin horny layer has been peeled off and held is immersed in a solvent for extracting a specific component of the skin horny layer, but for that purpose, it is necessary to store a certain amount of solvent in some container. Then, when the specific component of the skin stratum corneum is extracted in such a relatively large amount of solvent, the concentration of the specific component in the solvent becomes relatively low, so that the detection accuracy of the specific component is likely to be impaired. ..

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a kit for detecting and collecting a horny layer, which can detect and measure a specific component of the horny layer of the skin with high accuracy.

The kit for detecting the sampling of the stratum corneum according to the present invention is
A bar-shaped portion having a gripped portion gripped by the user at one end, a columnar portion connected to the other end of the rod-shaped portion, and a horny layer collecting tool composed of an adhesive layer formed on the peripheral surface of the columnar portion.
A bottomed tubular container having an opening at the top, which contains a solvent for extracting the components in the stratum corneum collected in the adhesive layer, and the adhesive layer can be immersed in the solvent from the opening. A solvent container that receives the columnar portion of the stratum corneum collecting tool, and
A lid that closes the opening of the solvent container after the adhesive layer is immersed in the solvent.
In the horny layer sampling detection kit consisting of
It is characterized in that the amount of the solvent is set so that the liquid surface of the solvent is located near the upper end of the adhesive layer immersed in the solvent.

Here, in the kit for detecting stratum corneum collection according to the present invention, a solvent is formed in a solvent container or a lid so as to be able to maintain a closed state, and is opened in order to take out the solvent from the solvent container to the outside of the container. It is desirable that an outlet is provided.

Further, in the kit for detecting stratum corneum collection according to the present invention, the cross-sectional area in the plane orthogonal to the cylinder axis direction of the internal space of the solvent container is in the portion that accepts the columnar portion rather than in the portion where the opening is formed. It is desirable that it is smaller.

Further, in the kit for detecting the sampling of the stratum corneum according to the present invention, it is desirable that the grip portion also serves as the lid body.

Further, the kit for detecting the sampling of the stratum corneum according to the present invention is provided with a guide means for positioning the stratum corneum sampling tool inserted in the solvent container so that the adhesive layer does not come into contact with the inner wall of the solvent container. Is desirable.

The kit for detecting the collection of the stratum corneum of the present invention is configured to immerse the adhesive layer formed on the peripheral surface of the columnar portion in the solvent contained in the solvent container which is a tubular container. The amount can be kept to the minimum necessary within the range where the solvent and the adhesive layer can come into contact with each other. More specifically, the amount of the solvent is set so that the liquid level thereof is located near the upper end of the adhesive layer immersed in the solvent. That is, the amount of the solvent can be such that the adhesive layer formed on the peripheral surface of the columnar portion is thinly surrounded from the outside. If the amount of the solvent in the solvent container is kept small in this way, the specific component of the stratum corneum to be detected and measured will be extracted into the solvent at a relatively high concentration, and thus this specification. The detection and measurement of components will be performed with high accuracy.

A perspective view showing a kit for detecting stratum corneum collection according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Schematic diagram illustrating how to use the horny layer sampling detection kit shown in FIG. Schematic diagram illustrating how to use the horny layer sampling detection kit shown in FIG. A perspective view showing a state when the kit for detecting the sampling of the stratum corneum shown in FIG. 1 is used. A perspective view showing another state when the horny layer sampling detection kit shown in FIG. 1 is used. Perspective view showing the kit for detecting the sampling of the stratum corneum according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Perspective view showing the kit for detecting the sampling of the stratum corneum according to the third embodiment of the present invention. Schematic diagram illustrating how to use the horny layer sampling detection kit shown in FIG. 7. A perspective view showing a state when the horny layer sampling detection kit shown in FIG. 7 is used. A perspective view showing another state when the horny layer sampling detection kit shown in FIG. 7 is used. A perspective view showing a kit for detecting stratum corneum collection according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. Schematic diagram illustrating how to use the horny layer sampling detection kit shown in FIG. A perspective view showing a state when the horny layer sampling detection kit shown in FIG. 11 is used. A perspective view showing another state when the horny layer sampling detection kit shown in FIG. 11 is used. A perspective view showing a kit for detecting stratum corneum collection according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. Schematic diagram illustrating how to use the horny layer sampling detection kit shown in FIG. A perspective view showing a state when the horny layer sampling detection kit shown in FIG. 15 is used. A perspective view showing another state when the horny layer sampling detection kit shown in FIG. 15 is used. Perspective view showing the kit for detecting the sampling of the stratum corneum according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention. A perspective view showing a part of the horny layer sampling detection kit shown in FIG. A perspective view showing a state when the horny layer sampling detection kit shown in FIG. 19 is used. A perspective view showing another state when the horny layer sampling detection kit shown in FIG. 19 is used. A perspective view showing still another state when the horny layer sampling detection kit shown in FIG. 19 is used.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

<< First Embodiment >>
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a kit 1 for detecting stratum corneum collection according to the first embodiment of the present invention. This horny layer collection detection kit 1 is a solvent container containing a horny layer collecting tool 10 for collecting the horny layer from the skin of a subject and a solvent (extract) for extracting a specific component in the collected horny layer. It consists of 20. The stratum corneum collecting tool 10 and the solvent container 20 are basically formed by molding, for example, a synthetic resin such as polystyrene, polypropylene, polyethylene, ABS resin, etc., except for the adhesive layer 16 described later, but other than that. It may be formed from the material of.

The stratum corneum collecting tool 10 has a columnar rod-shaped portion 11 as an example, and a grip portion 12 gripped by the user is attached to one end thereof. The grip portion 12 is composed of a plug portion 13 and a cap 14. The plug portion 13 is formed in a substantially bottomed cylindrical shape, and the lower side, that is, the rod-shaped portion 11 side is open, while the opposite side (upper part) is closed with the upper bottom. The cap 14 is swingably held by the plug portion 13 around the swing shaft C via the hinge portion 14a. The lower end of the cap 14 and the upper end of the plug 13 are configured such that, for example, a locking groove formed on one side and a locking convex portion (both not shown) formed on the other side are locked. As a result, the state in which the cap 14 covers the plug portion 13 is maintained. Although the upper bottom portion of the plug portion 13 is covered and hidden by the cap 14 in FIG. 1, the structure of the upper bottom portion of the plug portion 13 will be described in detail later. Further, on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical plug portion 13, a female screw (not shown) to be screwed into the male screw 20b described later formed in the solvent container 20 is formed. Further, a columnar columnar portion 15 having a diameter slightly larger than that of the rod-shaped portion 11 is formed so as to be connected to the other end of the rod-shaped portion 11. An adhesive layer 16 is formed on the entire outer peripheral surface of the columnar portion 15.

The adhesive layer 16 is formed by directly applying an adhesive to the outer peripheral surface of the columnar portion 15, or by applying an adhesive on a sheet-shaped support and attaching the adhesive to the outer peripheral surface of the columnar portion 15. There is. Specific examples of the pressure-sensitive adhesive include natural rubber, polyisobutylene rubber, polybutadiene rubber, silicon rubber, polyisoprene rubber, synthetic rubber such as styrene-isoprene-styrene block copolymer rubber, polypropylene resin, and polystyrene resin. Examples thereof include synthetic resins such as polyacrylic acid ester copolymer resins. Further, as the tackifier, rosin, hydrogenated rosin and its ester, polyterpene resin, petroleum resin and the like can also be used. Specific examples of the support include a film made of various resins such as paper, sufu, cotton, cloth, non-woven fabric, polyester resin, urethane resin, polyethylene resin, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, and soft polyvinyl chloride. , Aluminum foil and the like alone or a composite thereof, but the pressure-sensitive adhesive, the tackifier, and the support are not limited thereto.

On the other hand, as shown in more detail in FIG. 2, the solvent container 20 is an elongated bottomed cylindrical container having an opening 20a at the top. A male screw 20b is formed on the peripheral surface of the solvent container 20 in the portion near the upper end near the opening 20a. Further, the portion of the solvent container 20 near the center position in the height direction is a tapered portion 20c. The portion below the tapered portion 20c, that is, the portion accommodating the columnar portion 15 of the stratum corneum collecting tool 10 when the stratum corneum collecting tool 10 is incorporated in the solvent container 20 as described later is a tapered portion. The inner diameter is set smaller than the portion above 20c. That is, considering the cross-sectional area in the plane orthogonal to the tubular axis direction of the internal space of the solvent container 20, the cross-sectional area of the portion receiving the columnar portion 15 is larger than that of the portion where the opening 20a is formed. It is in a small state.

The solvent container 20 contains a solvent inside. This solvent causes the adhesive layer 16 of the horny layer collecting tool 10 to extract a specific component in the horny layer collected as described later. A temporary stopper 21 for preventing the solvent from flowing out is attached to the solvent container 20. The temporary plug 21 is a substantially bottomed cylindrical member that is closed with the lower side open while the upper side is the upper bottom, similar to the plug portion 13 of the stratum corneum collecting tool 10 described above. The temporary plug 21 is assembled to the solvent container 20 by screwing a female screw (not shown) formed on the inner peripheral surface thereof into the male screw 20b.

Generally, the above-mentioned horn layer collecting tool 10 and the solvent container 20 are put up for sale in a state of being packaged in a packaging bag or the like (not shown).

Next, a method of using the horny layer collection detection kit 1 of the present embodiment will be described. At the time of inspection, as shown in FIG. 3, the horn layer collecting tool 10 is handled by gripping the grip portion 12 by, for example, the hand M of the collector. Then, in the horny layer collecting tool 10, the adhesive layer 16 is pressed against the skin of the subject H to be inspected, that is, the skin of the cheek, for example, and the grip portion 12 is rotated in that state, that is, the adhesive layer 16 is rotated. The stratum corneum is exfoliated and collected from the skin of subject H over a wide range of the adhesive layer 16. Prior to collecting the stratum corneum, the surface layer of the skin may be washed to remove sebum, stains, makeup, etc., but it is not always essential.

When the stratum corneum is collected, the temporary plug 21 is then removed from the solvent container 20 as shown by the alternate long and short dash line A in FIG. 2, and the opening 20a is exposed. This removal is performed by rotating the temporary plug 21 and unscrewing it with the male screw 20b. The temporary plug 21 may be removed prior to collecting the stratum corneum.

As shown by the alternate long and short dash line B in FIG. 2, the horny layer collecting tool 10 that collects and holds the horny layer in the adhesive layer 16 is housed in the solvent container 20 through the opening 20a from the columnar portion 15. Then, the above-mentioned female screw formed on the inner peripheral surface of the plug portion 13 is screwed with the male screw 20b formed on the solvent container 20, and the keratin collecting tool 10 and the solvent container 20 are integrated.

FIG. 4 shows a state in which the stratum corneum collecting tool 10 is housed in the solvent container 20 in this way. When this state is reached, the adhesive layer 16 of the stratum corneum collecting tool 10 is immersed in the solvent contained in the solvent container 20. Further, in this state, the opening 20a of the solvent container 20 is closed by the stopper portion 13 and the cap 14 of the stratum corneum collecting tool 10. That is, the plug portion 13 and the cap 14 constituting the grip portion 12 of the horn layer collecting tool 10 also act as a lid for closing the opening 20a.

Further, when the stratum corneum collecting tool 10 and the solvent container 20 are integrated by screwing the female screw and the male screw, the stratum corneum collecting tool 10 is coaxial with the solvent container 20 and the adhesive layer 16 is the solvent container 20. It is held in the solvent container 20 so as not to come into contact with the inner wall. That is, the stopper 13 having the female screw and the male screw 20b of the solvent container 20 do not allow the adhesive layer 16 to come into contact with the inner wall of the solvent container 20 when the stratum corneum collecting tool 10 is inserted into the solvent container 20. It acts as a guide means for guiding the keratin collecting tool 10.

The amount of the solvent contained in the solvent container 20 is such that the liquid level of the solvent is located near the upper end of the adhesive layer 16 under the condition that the stratum corneum collecting tool 10 is stored in the solvent container 20. It is preferably set, so that the amount of solvent can be kept to the minimum necessary. Further, if the stratum corneum collecting tool 10 is adjusted so that the voids with the inner peripheral surface of the solvent container 20 are relatively small, it is possible to extract a specific component of the stratum corneum into the solvent at a high concentration. preferable. Here, the solvent liquid level may be higher or lower than the upper end of the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer 16. Specifically, the amount of the solvent is, for example, about 1 mL (milli liter).

By putting the horny layer collecting tool 10 in the solvent container 20 and immersing the adhesive layer 16 in the solvent kept at a predetermined temperature for a predetermined time, the specific component of the horny layer collected and held in the adhesive layer 16 can be obtained. It is extracted in the solvent. As the solvent of this type, for example, as shown in Patent Documents 1 and 2 described above, the expression of the squamous epithelial cell carcinoma-related antigen (SCCA) in the skin stratum corneum cells is measured to measure the skin of the subject H. Tris-buffer can be applied to determine the sensitivity, reactivity, and degree of sensitivity of the cell at the biochemical level.

As described above, after the adhesive layer 16 is immersed in the solvent for a predetermined time, the cap 14 is opened as shown in FIG. 5, and the solvent S is taken out from the solvent container 20. That is, a solvent outlet 13a is formed at the bottom of the bottomed cylindrical plug portion 13, and the solvent S is discharged from the solvent outlet 13a. The solvent outlet 13a can be maintained in a closed state by the cap 14 being adhered to the plug portion 13, and is opened only when the cap 14 is opened as shown in FIG.

Here, the cap 14 and the solvent outlet 13a may not be provided in particular, and the stopper portion 13 may be removed from the solvent container 20 when the solvent S is taken out, and the solvent S may be discharged from the exposed opening 20a. ..

The solvent S taken out of the solvent container 20 is supplied to a measuring device for measuring the extracted SCCA. The measurement of SCCA can be carried out quantitatively or qualitatively by applying any known method. Specifically, an immunoassay method using an antibody specific to SCCA, for example, an ELISA method using an enzyme label, an RIA method using a radiolabel, an immunoturbidimetric method, a Western blotting method, a latex agglutination method, and an agglutination method. Various methods such as law can be mentioned. Examples of immunoassay methods include competitive methods and sandwich methods.

In the stratum corneum collection detection kit 1 of the present embodiment, as described above, the amount of the solvent in the solvent container 20 is suppressed to the minimum necessary amount. Therefore, the specific component of the stratum corneum, which is the target of detection and measurement, is extracted into the solvent at a relatively high concentration, so that the detection and measurement of this specific component can be performed with high accuracy. ..

Further, in the horny layer collection detection kit 1 of the present embodiment, as described above, the cross-sectional area of the portion receiving the columnar portion 15 is smaller than that of the portion of the solvent container 20 in which the opening 20a is formed. It is said to be in a state. As a result, the volume of the portion that receives the columnar portion 15 becomes relatively small, which is advantageous in reducing the amount of the solvent contained therein to the minimum necessary amount that allows the adhesive layer 16 to be immersed. On the other hand, since the portion where the opening 20a is formed has a relatively large diameter, the outer diameter of the grip portion 12 combined therewith also becomes relatively large, and the grip portion 12 can be easily gripped.

In the stratum corneum collection detection kit 1 of the present embodiment, the columnar portion 15 has a larger diameter than the rod-shaped portion 11, but they are configured to be composed of one member having a uniform diameter. May be good. Further, the rod-shaped portion 11 and the columnar portion 15 are formed in a columnar shape, for example, a square columnar or a hexagonal columnar shape, or even if the rod-shaped portion 11 and the columnar portion 15 are formed in a hollow shape (for example, a circular tube or a square tube). good.

In order to make the volume of the portion of the solvent container 20 that receives the columnar portion 15 relatively small, the wall thickness of this portion may be increased so that the tapered portion 20c described above is not provided. However, in such a case, the wall thickness of the portion of the solvent container 20 that receives the columnar portion 15 becomes unnecessarily large, and the amount of, for example, the synthetic resin used to form the solvent container 20 increases unnecessarily, which is not preferable.

The container for detecting stratum corneum collection and the kit according to the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned measurement of SCCA, and can also be configured as a kit for measuring the abundance of any other factors related to skin properties. For example, as shown in Patent Document 3 described above, it can be configured as a kit for measuring the abundance of nerve growth factor and / or neurotrophic factor 4 in the stratum corneum. In that case, a conventional physiological buffer can be applied as a solvent for extracting nerve growth factor or neurotrophic factor 4. Particularly preferably, for example, Dulbecco's phosphate buffered saline is applied, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

<< Second Embodiment >>
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 6, the same elements as those already described are assigned the same numbers, and the description thereof will be omitted unless otherwise required (hereinafter, the same applies).

The horny layer collection detection kit 2 according to the second embodiment has a different lid structure for closing the opening 20a of the solvent container 20 from the horny layer collection detection kit 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Is. That is, in this horny layer sampling detection kit 2, a convex solvent outflow portion 13b is formed on the upper bottom portion of the plug portion 13 of the horny layer sampling tool 10, and an opening is provided on the upper end surface inside the solvent outflow portion 13b. The solvent outlet 13a is provided. A cap 17 is attached to the solvent outflow portion 13b, and the solvent outlet 13a is closed by the cap 17. A male screw is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the solvent outflow portion 13b, while a female screw is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the cap 17, and both of these screws are screwed together to form a cap 17 on the solvent outflow portion 13b. It is designed to be adhered.

Even when the horny layer collection detection kit 2 having the above configuration is used, the collection of the horny layer using the horny layer collecting tool 10 and the storage of the horny layer collecting tool 10 in the solvent container 20 are carried out in the first step. This is done in the same manner as when the morphological stratum corneum collection detection kit 1 is used. Then, after the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer 16 is immersed in the solvent contained in the solvent container 20, when the solvent is taken out from the solvent container 20, the cap 17 is rotated to unscrew the two screws, and the cap 17 is unscrewed. Is removed from the solvent outflow portion 13b. As a result, the solvent outlet 13a is opened, and the solvent is taken out of the solvent container 20 from there.

<< Third Embodiment >>
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 10. The stratum corneum collection detection kit 3 according to the third embodiment has a solvent container 20 after the adhesive layer 16 is immersed in the solvent, as compared with the stratum corneum collection detection kit 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The lid that closes the opening 20a is basically different in that it is formed on the solvent container 20 side.

That is, as shown in FIG. 7, in the horny layer collecting tool 10 constituting the horny layer collecting detection kit 3, the plug portion shown in FIG. 1 is on one end side of the rod-shaped portion 11, that is, on the side opposite to the columnar portion 15. Similar to No. 13, a grip portion 30 formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape is attached. At the time of collecting the horny layer using the horny layer collecting tool 10, the grip portion 30 is gripped by a human hand and the horny layer collecting tool 10 is handled.

On the other hand, in the solvent container 20, a stopper portion 31 formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape is attached like the temporary stopper 21 shown in FIG. The plug portion 31 is attached to the upper part of the solvent container 20 by screwing a female screw (not shown) formed on the inner peripheral surface thereof into the male screw 20b shown in FIG. A cap 32 constituting the lid is attached to the plug portion 31 together with the plug portion 31. The lower end of the cap 32 and the upper end of the plug 31 are configured such that, for example, a locking groove formed on one side and a locking convex portion (both not shown) formed on the other side are locked. As a result, the state in which the cap 32 covers the plug portion 31 is maintained. Further, a part of the outer peripheral surface of the plug portion 31 is provided with a lock release portion 31a that assists in releasing the lock between the plug portion 31 and the cap 32 by bending when pushed.

Hereinafter, a method of using the horny layer collection detection kit 3 of the present embodiment will be described. Even when the horny layer collection detection kit 3 is used, the horny layer can be collected by using the horny layer collecting tool 10 and stored in the solvent container 20 of the horny layer collecting tool 10 according to the first embodiment. This is done in the same manner as when the collection detection kit 1 is used. Prior to accommodating the stratum corneum collecting tool 10 in the solvent container 20, the stopper portion 31 is removed from the upper part of the solvent container 20 as shown by the alternate long and short dash line A in FIG. Then, as also shown by the alternate long and short dash line B in FIG. 8, the stratum corneum collecting tool 10 is housed in the solvent container 20 from the columnar portion 15 through the opening 20a. The state at this time is shown in FIG.

As described above, the adhesive layer 16 is immersed in the solvent in the solvent container 20 for a predetermined time, and the specific component of the stratum corneum collected and held in the adhesive layer 16 is extracted into the solvent. Is taken out of the solvent container 20. Then, the stopper 31 is attached to the upper part of the solvent container 20 again, and the opening 20a is closed.

Next, as shown in FIG. 10, the locking between the plug portion 31 and the cap 32 is released, and the cap 32 is removed from the plug portion 31. A solvent outlet 31b is opened in the upper bottom portion of the plug portion 31, and when the cap 32 is removed, the solvent outlet 31b is opened. When the solvent container 20 is placed in a posture in which the upper portion thereof faces downward in this state, the solvent S containing the extracted specific component of the stratum corneum is taken out of the solvent container 20 from the solvent outlet 31b.

In the kit for detecting the sampling of the stratum corneum of the present invention, the solvent container 20 may be formed of a relatively high-rigidity material, or may be formed of a relatively low-rigidity and flexible material. .. When the solvent container 20 is formed from a material such as the latter, even if the solvent outlet 31b is so small that the solvent S does not easily flow out from the solvent container 20, the outer peripheral surface of the solvent container 20 is lightly pressed inward to be deformed. As a result, the solvent S flows out smoothly.

<< Fourth Embodiment >>
Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 to 14. Compared to the stratum corneum sampling detection kit 2 shown in FIG. 6, the stratum corneum sampling detection kit 4 according to the fourth embodiment has an opening 20a of the solvent container 20 after the adhesive layer 16 is immersed in the solvent. It is basically different in that the closing lid is formed on the solvent container 20 side.

That is, as shown in FIG. 11, the horny layer collecting tool 10 constituting the horny layer collecting detection kit 4 has a plug portion shown in FIG. 1 on one end side of the rod-shaped portion 11, that is, on the side opposite to the columnar portion 15. Similar to No. 13, a grip portion 30 formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape is attached. At the time of collecting the horny layer using the horny layer collecting tool 10, the grip portion 30 is gripped by a human hand and the horny layer collecting tool 10 is handled.

On the other hand, the solvent container 20 is attached with a stopper portion 40 formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape. The stopper 40 is attached to the upper part of the solvent container 20 by screwing a female screw (not shown) formed on the inner peripheral surface thereof into the male screw 20b shown in FIG. A convex solvent outflow portion 40b is formed on the upper bottom portion of the plug portion 40, and a solvent outlet 40a opened on the upper end surface is provided inside the solvent outflow portion 40b. A cap 42 is attached to the solvent outflow portion 40b, and the solvent outlet 40a is closed by the cap 42. A male screw is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the solvent outflow portion 40b, while a female screw is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the cap 42, and both of these screws are screwed together to form a cap 42 on the solvent outflow portion 40b. Be adhered.

Hereinafter, a method of using the horny layer collection detection kit 4 of the present embodiment will be described. Even when the horny layer collection detection kit 4 is used, the horny layer can be collected by using the horny layer collecting tool 10 and stored in the solvent container 20 of the horny layer collecting tool 10 according to the first embodiment. This is done in the same manner as when the collection detection kit 1 is used. Prior to accommodating the stratum corneum collecting tool 10 in the solvent container 20, the stopper 40 is removed from the upper part of the solvent container 20 as shown by the alternate long and short dash line A in FIG. Then, as also shown by the alternate long and short dash line B in FIG. 12, the stratum corneum collecting tool 10 is housed in the solvent container 20 from the columnar portion 15 through the opening 20a. The state at this time is shown in FIG.

As described above, the adhesive layer 16 is immersed in the solvent in the solvent container 20 for a predetermined time, and the specific component of the stratum corneum collected and held in the adhesive layer 16 is extracted into the solvent. Is taken out of the solvent container 20. Then, the stopper 40 is attached to the upper part of the solvent container 20 again, and the opening 20a is closed.

Then, as shown in FIG. 14, the screw between the solvent outflow portion 40b and the cap 42 is released, and the cap 42 is removed from the plug portion 40. When the cap 42 is removed in this way, the solvent outlet 40a is opened. When the solvent container 20 is placed in a posture in which the upper portion thereof faces downward in this state, the solvent S containing the extracted specific component of the stratum corneum is taken out of the solvent container 20 from the solvent outlet 40a.

<< Fifth Embodiment >>
Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 15 to 18. The horny layer collection detection kit 5 according to the fifth embodiment has the grip portion 30 removed in the horny layer collection tool 10 as compared with the horny layer collection detection kit 3 shown in FIGS. 7 to 10. It is basically different. That is, in the present embodiment, one end of the rod-shaped portion 11 itself is used as a gripping portion for gripping the stratum corneum collecting tool 10.

Hereinafter, a method of using the horny layer collection detection kit 5 of the present embodiment will be described. Even when the horny layer collection detection kit 5 is used, the horny layer can be collected by using the horny layer collecting tool 10 and stored in the solvent container 20 of the horny layer collecting tool 10 according to the third embodiment. This is basically the same as when the collection detection kit 3 is used. However, in this case, as described above, the corner layer collecting tool 10 is gripped by gripping one end of the rod-shaped portion 11.

Prior to accommodating the stratum corneum collecting tool 10 in the solvent container 20, the stopper portion 31 is removed from the upper part of the solvent container 20 as shown by the alternate long and short dash line A in FIG. Then, as also shown by the alternate long and short dash line B in FIG. 16, the stratum corneum collecting tool 10 is housed in the solvent container 20 from the columnar portion 15 through the opening 20a. After that, the plug portion 31 is reattached to the upper part of the solvent container 20, and the opening 20a is closed. The state at this time is shown in FIG. A guide member (guide means) that loosely fits into the rod-shaped portion 11 is formed inside the plug portion 31, and by this fitting, the stratum corneum collecting tool 10 is coaxial with the solvent container 20 and has an adhesive layer. 16 is held in the solvent container 20 so as not to come into contact with the inner wall of the solvent container 20.

As described above, the adhesive layer 16 is immersed in the solvent in the solvent container 20 for a predetermined time, and the specific component of the stratum corneum collected and held in the adhesive layer 16 is extracted into the solvent. Next, as shown in FIG. 18, the locking between the plug portion 31 and the cap 32 is released, and the cap 32 is removed from the plug portion 31. A solvent outlet 31b is opened in the upper bottom portion of the plug portion 31, and when the cap 32 is removed, the solvent outlet 31b is opened. When the solvent container 20 is placed in a posture in which the upper portion thereof faces downward in this state, the solvent S containing the extracted specific component of the stratum corneum is taken out of the solvent container 20 from the solvent outlet 31b.

<< 6th Embodiment >>
Next, a sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 19 to 23. As shown in FIG. 19, the horny layer sampling detection kit 6 according to the sixth embodiment includes a horny layer sampling tool 10 similar to that shown in FIG. 15, and a relatively thin bottomed cylindrical solvent container 50. It is composed of.

As shown in FIG. 20, the solvent container 50 has a flange portion 51 at the upper end. The flange portion 51 has a hinge portion 51a projecting laterally and an opening 51b. The opening 51b of the flange portion 51 acts as an opening of the solvent container 50 for receiving the stratum corneum collecting tool 10. The solvent container 50 including the flange portion 51 and the lid 52 described later are made of, for example, synthetic resin.

A lid 52 is disposed above the opening 51b. The lid 52 has a hinge portion 52a that projects laterally, and the hinge portion 52a and the hinge portion 51a form a hinge connection due to bending of the synthetic resin. As a result, the lid 52 can have a closed position for closing the opening 51b as shown in FIG. 19 and an open position for exposing the opening 51b as shown in FIG. 20.

A solvent outflow portion 52b is formed on the upper surface of the lid 52. The solvent outflow portion 52b has a solvent outlet 52e (see FIGS. 22 and 23) described later inside, and one end of the solvent outlet 52e is formed through a communication hole (not shown) formed in the lid 52. It is open to the inner surface of the lid 52. Further, the other end of the solvent outlet 52e is closed by the peeling piece 52c integrally molded with the solvent outflow portion 52b before the use of the stratum corneum sampling detection kit 6. A cylindrical portion 52d is formed on the inner surface of the lid 52, and when the lid 52 is set to the closed position, the cylindrical portion 52d fits substantially tightly in the opening 51b.

Hereinafter, a method of using the horny layer collection detection kit 6 of the present embodiment will be described. Even when the horny layer collection / detection kit 6 is used, the horny layer is collected by using the horny layer collection tool 10 in the same manner as when the horny layer collection / detection kit 5 shown in FIG. 15 is used.

The horny layer collecting tool 10 for collecting and holding the horny layer in the adhesive layer 16 is housed in a solvent container 50 in which the lid 52 is set at the opening position as shown in FIG. 20 through the opening 51b. When the stratum corneum collecting tool 10 is housed in the solvent container 50, the lid 52 is set to the closed position and the opening 51b is closed. The state at this time is shown in FIG. In this way, the adhesive layer 16 that collects and holds the stratum corneum is immersed in the solvent in the solvent container 50. A guide member (guide means) that loosely fits into the rod-shaped portion 11 is formed inside the cylindrical portion 52d, and by this fitting, the stratum corneum collecting tool 10 is coaxial with the solvent container 20 and adheres. The layer 16 is held in the solvent container 20 so as not to come into contact with the inner wall of the solvent container 20.

When the adhesive layer 16 is immersed in the solvent for a predetermined time, the peeling piece 52c is peeled off from the solvent outflow portion 52b as shown in FIG. 22. As a result, the solvent outlet 52e formed in the solvent outflow portion 52b is opened. The solvent outflow portion 52b is formed at a position separated from the rod-shaped portion 11 held in the solvent container 50.

Next, as shown in FIG. 23, when the solvent container 50 is placed in a posture in which the upper portion thereof faces downward, the solvent S containing the specific component of the extracted stratum corneum is taken out of the solvent container 50 from the solvent outlet 52e. Is done.

The horny layer sampling tool 10 can be combined with the solvent container 20 or 50 described above to form a horny layer sampling detection kit, or can be applied alone for horny layer sampling. By using such a stratum corneum collecting tool 10, it becomes possible to collect the stratum corneum with a simpler operation as compared with a known tape stripping method or the like.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 Square layer sampling detection kit 10 Square layer sampling tool 11 Rod-shaped part 12, 30 Grip part 13 Plug part 13a, 31b, 40a, 52e Solvent outlet 13b, 40b, 52b Solvent outflow Part 14, 17, 32, 42 Cap 15 Columnar part 16 Adhesive layer 20, 50 Solvent container 20a, 51b Opening 31, 40 Plug part 31a Unlocking part 51 Flange part 51a, 52a Hinge part 52 Lid body 52c Peeling piece 52d Cylindrical Shaped part

Claims (4)

A rod-shaped portion having a grip portion gripped by the user at one end, a columnar portion connected to the other end of the rod-shaped portion, and an adhesive layer formed on the peripheral surface of the columnar portion and capable of adhesively peeling and collecting a stratum corneum from the skin. Weapon layer sampling tool consisting of
A bottomed tubular container having an opening at the top, which contains a solvent for extracting the components in the stratum corneum collected in the adhesive layer, and the adhesive layer can be immersed in the solvent from the opening. A solvent container that receives the columnar portion of the stratum corneum collecting tool, and
A lid that closes the opening of the solvent container after the adhesive layer is immersed in the solvent.
In the horny layer sampling detection kit consisting of
The cross-sectional area in the plane orthogonal to the tubular axis direction of the internal space of the solvent container is made smaller in the portion receiving the columnar portion than in the portion where the opening is formed.
It is characterized in that the amount of the solvent is set so that the liquid surface of the solvent is located near the upper end of the adhesive layer immersed in the solvent in an upright state of the solvent container. A kit for detecting the sampling of the stratum corneum. The kit for detecting stratum corneum collection according to claim 1, further comprising a solvent outlet which is formed on the lid so as to be able to maintain a closed state and is opened to take out the solvent from the solvent container to the outside of the container. .. The kit for detecting stratum corneum collection according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the grip portion also serves as the lid. The horny layer sampling detection according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a guide means for positioning the horny layer collecting tool inserted in the solvent container so that the adhesive layer does not come into contact with the inner wall of the solvent container. kit.

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