CA2523365A1 - Antimicrobial materials comprising a silver-containing glass composition - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to materials that are to be applied to the skin, preferred materials being polymers, cosmetics, cleaning preparations, and cloths, pads, or dressings. Polyurethanes which are preferably provided with self-adhesive properties and have an antimicrobial effect are preferred as polymers. The combination of materials, especially polymeric materials such as polyurethane, and specific silver-containing glasses provides for moist wound healing while ensuring high product stability and high stability against discoloration of the wound dressing. The antimicrobial silver-containing glasses comprise 40 to 75 mole percent of P2O5, 35 to 55 mole percent of CaO, MgO, 0 to 5 mole percent of Na2O, K2O, 5 to 20 mole percent of SiO2, Al2O5, and 0.1 to 5 mole percent of Ag2O, the percentages being relative to the glass composition.

Description

Antimicrobial materials The invention relates to materials, especially self-adhesive and antimicrobial wound contact materials, cosmetics, especially inflammation-alleviating emulsions, disinfectant cleansing preparations, and antimicrobial skin contact materials, pads or wipes.
The combination of materials, such as, for example, polyurethane as wound contact material, with the defined, silver-containing glasses generates a disinfectant, skin-calming or antimicrobial effect and at the same time ensures a high level of product stability and high discoloration stability of the materials in the face of external influences.
The treatment and healing of bacterially contaminated or infected skin or wounds poses a great challenge to medicine and the natural sciences. Poorly healing wounds and chronic wounds, in particular, are often populated by a wide variety of microorganisms, which greatly delay or sometimes even prevent entirely the course of healing.
Even with acute wounds, however, caused by trauma, surgical intervention, or even just a simple injury, the penetration of pathogenic microorganisms cannot be ruled out in every case.
As a result of penetration by the microorganisms, the wound becomes colonized by them. A wound populated with more than 105 CFU/g is referred to as an infected wound (M.C. Robson "Clinical Research can improve the outcome of treatment of problem wounds: Infection as a paradigm", 8'" Annual Meeting of the ETRS, Copenhagen, DK, August 27-30, 1998). The massive colonization of the wound environment with microorganisms may result in a massive disruption to the course of healing, which can lead ultimately to mortality. Frequent causative organisms of bacterial wound infections belong to the genera Pseudomonas, Staphylococcus, Clostridium and, among the yeasts and molds, to the genera Candida and Aspergillus. Limitation to a few species is impossible, since many of the microorganisms may be regarded as opportunistic pathogens.
A variety of ways have been described for removing microorganisms from the contaminated or infected tissue of a wound and/or for killing them therein.
Apart from the oral administration of antibiotics, pathogenic microorganisms can be removed from a wound, in accordance with the prior art, by topical application of a disinfectant or antibiotic. Furthermore, antiseptics and antibiotics are cytotoxic, and, moreover, many pathogenic strains have developed resistances to antibiotics. The fact that resistance can even be developed to an antiseptic has been reported for triclosan-resistant E. coli bacteria (McMurry LM et al. (1998) FEMS Microbiol Lett 166(2): 305-9, Cookson BD et al.
(1991 ) Lancet 337 (8756): 1548-9; Uhl S (1993) Lancet 342 (8865): 248). The principal critical factor in these cases was the widespread, prophylactic use of triclosan (Irgasan~) in soaps, deodorants, textiles, and plastics.
A well-known use, for example, for the antimicrobial and/or preventive therapy of contaminated or infected wounds is that of oxidants (for example, iodine tincture) or antiseptics (for example, ointments containing silver sulfadiazine). In the form, too, of antimicrobial or antimicrobially impregnated wound contact materials and woundcare materials, agents of this kind are employed. Also known in this context is the use of silver-containing zeolites.
An overview of the prior-art antimicrobial, silver-containing woundcare materials is provided by DE-A1-19958458.
DE-A1-19958458 discloses wound contact materials composed of a synthetic polymer material that comprises zeolites containing metal ions.
Known additionally, from EP-A1-1116698 and EP-A1-1116700, are silver-containing glasses which exhibit antimicrobial activity. However, these are only embedded in thermoplastic polymers that are used in the household and sanitary sectors in a variety of forms, such as wallpapers, cutting boards or the like.
In addition to antimicrobial activity, the creation of a moist wound environment, which in contrast to the traditional dry wound treatment, such as that by means of gauze compresses, for example, offers physiological, and hence better, conditions for the natural processes of wound healing, is at the center of the development of antimicrobial wound healing.
EP-A1-1159972 discloses a dressing material composed of a self-adhesive hydrocolloid composition which permits a moist wound environment and comprises an antimicrobial agent containing silver, copper, and zinc.

Available on the market under the name Contreet-H~ from Coloplast is an antibacterial hydrocolloid dressing which enables a moist wound treatment and an antibacterial effect through impregnation with ionic silver.
Corresponding dressings are described in WO 00/09173 and US 5,681,575 and also in WO 02/062403 and WO 02/078755.
WO 02/062403 describes an antimicrobial wound contact material comprising in its adhesive matrix a silver-containing complex comprising at least one element from group IV of the PTE. Preferred elements specified are titanium, hafnium or zirconium, the complex preferably constituting a phosphate complex.
The silver ions, in a fraction of 0.01 to 30 mg/cm2 wound contact material, are released only on contact with ionic solution. Suitable adhesives are only those which do not diminish the release of silver or its antimicrobial activity. As an example of a matrix a polyurethane foam is described, the foam characteristics being mandatory with regard to the release rate.
WO 02/078755 describes an antimicrobial wound contact material releasing silver at 50 to 10 000 ~g/cm2 wound contact material and having an absorption capacity for wound exudate of more than 0.09 g/cmZ.
The silver compounds in this case, as in WO 02/062403, are in complex form with elements from group 4 of the PTE. Here as well, a zirconium phosphate complex is preferred.
The very broad release rate indicated in WO 02/078755 is situated within ranges which are likewise attained with the known, prior-art, silver-containing, antimicrobial, wound contact materials.
US 6,143,318 describes a method of combating wound infections, encompassing a wound contact material comprising a water-soluble glass which is able to release silver and copper, magnesium or zinc.
GB 2178422 describes prosthesis material containing glass comprising CaO, ZnO, MgO, P205, Na20, and K20 in a specific composition, it being possible for not more than 5 mol% of the P205 to be replaced by Ag20, FeO, CuO, Ti02 or Zr02.
DE 10213632 describes an antimicrobial, antiinflammatory, wound-healing glass with a specific composition, which additionally may also contain Ag, Cu and/or Zn.

All of the above-described antimicrobial dressing materials containing silver, known from the prior art, however, carry at least one drawback. The silver-containing dressing materials after a certain time exhibit a darkening due to the formation of elemental silver and/or silver oxide. The darkening is accelerated in particular by heat, moisture, light and/or radiation effects. The unattractive dark brown or black silver oxide, moreover, no longer has any microbicidal effect left, so that the durability of the activity of the known dressing materials suffers. As a consequence, the antimicrobial activity subsides after a short time, or costly and inconvenient sealing and packaging steps are necessary for products of this kind. In particular these products do not satisfy the esthetic demands of consumers.
There was therefore a desire for an antimicrobial polymer material which when employed as dressing material, in particular as wound contact material, unites all of the positive qualities of the individual, known antimicrobial dressing materials and at the same time avoids the existing drawbacks of said materials.
The polymer material ought in particular - to be preferably self-adhesive, to obviate the need for additional fixing materials, - to be of simple structure, so that it can be handled uncomplicatedly even by lay people, - to generate, where desired, a moist wound environment, - to be antimicrobial and to do so even with a very small proportion of active substance, - to be storable, without detractions from aforementioned qualities, - to satisfy esthetic demands on the part of consumers, and - to be stable to external influences, such as light, moisture and/or radiation.
In particular the antimicrobial polymer material ought to satisfy the esthetic requirements and ought not to discolor even after a prolonged time.
This was the nexus of problems to be solved.
The skin, particularly the epidermis, is the barrier organ of the human body and, as such, is subject to external exposures to a particular degree. According to current scientific understanding, the skin represents an immunological organ which, being an immunocompetent peripheral compartment, plays its own part in inductive, effective, and regulative immune processes of the body as a whole. Effective protection, including particularly that of damaged or otherwise-treated human skin, against bacterial penetration is therefore accorded an important role.
Substances active against bacteria have been known for a considerable time.
The term "antibiotics", for example, which cannot be applied to all antimicrobial substances, can be 5 dated to the year 1941, although the initial discoveries in relation to penicillin had been made back in 1929. Antibiotics in the present-day sense are not suitable for all medical applications, and certainly not all cosmetic applications, since the warm-blooded organism - in other words, for instance, the sick patient - frequently also suffers impairment in its metabolic functions in some way or other in the course of application.
It is an object of the present invention to enrich the state of the art in this direction, and hence in particular to provide cosmetic preparations which are antimicrobial and/or disinfectant, without the application of the substances being associated with an unacceptable deterioration in the health of the individual applying them.
Disinfectant and/or antimicrobial preparations are known, for example, from the treatment of acne. ACNE CREME is a mildly disinfectant cream. It is suitable for those cases of acne which require a peeling treatment. Further known cosmetic preparations with disinfectant and antiinflammatory effects contain active substances, such as, for example, chlorhexidine, chlorhexidine gluconate, Hamamelis-zinc oxide, panthenol, dexpanthenol and/or pure urea.
Drawbacks of these cosmetics, however, are in some cases irritation to the skin (reddening, flaking) and also, in certain cases, allergic reactions.
Another object of the present invention is therefore to provide cosmetic preparations which combine alleviation for irritated skin conditions and/or assistance with re-establishment of dermal homeostasis with simultaneous care for the skin.
The cosmetic treatment of the skin and hair also includes their cleansing.
Cleansing implies not only removing unwanted dirt and eliminating microbes of all kinds but also raising the level of psychological and physical wellbeing. Candidates first in line for cleansing purposes are surfactant preparations.
Surfactants are amphiphilic compounds with the ability to dissolve organic apolar substances in water. Owing to their specific molecular structure, with at least one hydrophilic and one hydrophobic moiety, they ensure reduction of the surface tension of water, wetting of the skin, facilitation of soil removal and dissolution, easy rinsing, and -where desired - foam regulation.
The hydrophilic fractions of a surfactant molecule are mostly polar functional groups, examples being -COO-, -OS032-, -S03 , while the hydrophobic components are generally apolar hydrocarbon radicals. Surfactants are generally classified according to the identity and charge of the hydrophilic moiety. Four groups may be distinguished here:
~ anionic surfactants, ~ cationic surfactants, ~ amphoteric surfactants, and nonionic surfactants.
Antibacterial cleansing preparations, such as soaps, frequently contain triclocarban (TCC), triclosan (Irgasan DP 300) or chloroxylenol (PCMX). These active substances block a particular enzyme which needs a series of bacteria to survive. As a result of the widespread propagation of these active substances, however, there is increasingly a development-of-resistance effect on the part of the user.
It is therefore also an object of the present invention to provide a cleansing preparation which has an antimicrobial and/or disinfectant and also skin-calming and care effect.
These objects are achieved by means of a material as specified in the main claim. The dependent claims provide advantageous developments of the material, and its use.
It was surprising, and not to have been foreseen by the skilled worker, that a material suitable for placement or application to the skin, comprising antimicrobial, silver-containing glass of composition P205 30-75 mol%, Si02 5-50 mol%, R'O 20-55 mol%, RZ20 0- 5 mol%, AI203 3-20 mol%, based on the total amount of the silver oxide-free glass, and 0.1 % to 5% by weight of Ag20, based on the total mass of the glass, R' being selected from Ca, Mg, Zn and/or Cu and RZ being selected from Na, K
and/or Li, would completely solve the nexus of problems.
The statement of the glass composition in mol% indicates the constituents without silver oxide. Stated additionally is the amount of silver oxide in % by weight, based on the total mass of the glass, which then contains silver.
Particularly a material having a glass composition P205 40-60 mol%, R'O 35-55 mol%, RZ20 0- 5 mol%, Si02, AI203 5-20 mol%, and AgzO 0.1 %-5% by weight, and a material having a glass composition P205 45-55 mol%, CaO, Mg0 35-50 mol%, Na20, K20 0- mol%, Si02 0- mol%, AI203 5-15 mol% and AgzO 0.5%-3%
by weight, and also, preferably, a material having a glass composition P2O5 50 mol%, Mg0 44 mol%, AI203 6 mol%, based on the total amount of the silver oxide-free glass, and Ag20 2% by weight, based on the total mass of the glass or having a glass composition P205 73.35% by weight, Mg0 18.33% by weight, AI203 6.32% by weight, and AgzO 2.0% by weight, based on the total glass mass, has proven particularly application-friendly and effective.
Material of the invention comprehends all that can be placed or applied on the human or animal skin and is able to ensure the emission and delivery of silver to the surrounding area. These materials are, in particular, polymer materials, such as, for example, polyurethanes, cosmetics, especially emulsion-based cosmetic preparations, disinfectant cleansing preparations, and antimicrobial skin contact materials, pads or wipes.
These materials contain preferably 0.001 % to 40% by weight, preferably 0.05%
to 1 % by weight, of the silver-containing glass, based on the total mass of the material.
The antimicrobial or disinfectant silver present in these materials is available in the form of free silver ions and is characterized as the oxide Ag20 only in accordance with the way of writing the composition of the glass.
One preferred embodiment of the materials of the invention encompasses polymer materials. The polymer material serves primarily as a dressing material for application to the human skin. Dressing materials are also taken to include wound contact materials, so that, in particular, the polymer material of the invention can be used with advantage as wound contact material.
The invention hence also provides a polymer material having antimicrobial properties, characterized in that materials which are used in wound healing, such as synthetic polymer materials, for example, polyurethanes, polyacrylates, SIBS compounds, SEBS
compounds, natural rubber compounds, and chitosans, alginates, hydrogels, hydrocolloids, but especially polyurethanes are combined with the silver-containing glasses, which in preferred embodiments of the invention can be incorporated at 0.01 to 40% by weight, with particular preference to 0.05% to 1 % by weight, into the polymer materials. It is not necessary here for the matrix mandatorily to be foamed, as is required in the prior art for effective silver release Preference is given to selecting self-adhesive polymer materials, in order to prevent additional edge sticking of the wound contact material.
Deserving of particular emphasis in accordance with the invention is the use of the silver-containing glasses as part of a self-adhesive polyurethane matrix which can be used as a hydroactive wound contact material for moist wound healing.
Preference is given to employing elastic, crosslinked polyurethanes with a mass application weight of 50 to 2500 g/m2, as are described, for example, in WO 97/43328 A1.
Generally speaking, polyurethanes are prepared from the known starting compounds of polyurethane chemistry by known processes, which are represented in patents DE-A 3103499, DE-A 3103500, EP 0 147 588 A1, EP 0 665 856 B1 or DE 196 18 825 A1.
Polyurethane is used as a basis for the polymer material. The preparation of the polyurethane (c) is accomplished by the polymerization of an alcohol (a) with an isocyanate (b).
O
R-OH + O=C=N-Ft' ~ R~O~N~R.
I
(b) "
(c) A decisive advantage of the polyurethane polymer matrices or gel matrices are their self-adhesive properties, which obviate the additional application of an adhesion layer to the matrix, for the purpose of fixing the polymer material in the region of the skin. At its most simple, the silver-containing polyurethane matrix is located between a cover layer firmly anchored to it, also called backing layer, and a removable release layer.
The purpose of the removable release layer is to secure the adhesive layer, and to improve the stability in transit and in storage, and it is removed prior to application to the skin.
Suitable polyurethanes as matrix are subject matter of DE 196 18 825, which discloses hydrophilic, self-adhesive polyurethane gels composed of a) polyether polyols having 2 to 6 hydroxyl groups, OH numbers of 20 to 112, and an ethylene oxide (EO) content of >_ 10% by weight, b) antioxidants, c) bismuth(///) carboxylates soluble in the polyols a) and based on carboxylic acids having 2 to 18 carbon atoms, as catalysts, and d) hexamethylene diisocyanate, with a product of the functionalities of the polyurethane-forming components a) and d) of at least 5.2, the amount of catalyst c) being 0.005% to 0.25% by weight, based on polyol a), the amount of antioxidants b) being in the range from 0.1 % to 1.0% by weight, based on polyol a), and the ratio of free NCO groups of component d) to the free OH groups of component a) (isocyanate index) being selected in the range from 0.30 to 0.70.

It is preferred to use polyether polyols containing 3 to 4, very preferably 4-hydroxyl groups, with an OH number from 20 to 112, preferably 30 to 56. In the case of the polyether polyols used in accordance with the invention the ethylene oxide content is preferably >_ 20% by weight.

The polyether polyols are known per se as such and prepared for example by polymerizing epoxides, such as ethylene oxide, propylene oxide, butylene oxide or tetrahydrofuran, with themselves or by addition reaction of these epoxides, preferably of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide - where appropriate as a mixture with one another or 10 separately in succession - with starter components having at least two reactive hydrogen atoms, such as water, ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, diethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, glycerol, trimethylolpropane, pentaerythritol, sorbitol or sucrose.
Representatives of the stated, relatively high molecular mass polyhydroxyl compounds to be used are listed for example in High Polymers, vol. XVI, "Polyurethanes, Chemistry and Technology" (Saunders-Frisch, Interscience Publishers, New York, vol. 1, 1962, pp. 32-42).
The isocyanate component used is monomeric or trimerized hexamethylene diisocyanate or hexamethylene diisocyanate modified by means of biuret, uretdione and/or allophanate groups or by prepolymerization with polyether polyols or mixtures of polyether polyols based on the known starter components having 2 or > 2 reactive H
atoms and epoxides, such as ethylene oxide or propylene oxide with an OH
number of <_ 850, preferably 100 to 600. Preference is given to using modified hexamethylene diisocyanate, especially hexamethylene diisocyanate modified by prepolymerization with polyether diols with an OH number of 200 to 600. Very particular preference is given to modifications of hexamethylene diisocyanate with polyether diols with an OH
number of 200-600 whose residual monomeric hexamethylene diisocyanate content is below 0.5%
by weight.
Suitable catalysts for the polyurethane gels of the invention are bismuth(III) carboxylates soluble in the anhydrous polyether polyols a) and based on linear, branched, saturated or unsaturated carboxylic acids having 2 to 18, preferably 6 to 18, C atoms.
Preference is given to Bi(III) salts of branched saturated carboxylic acids with tertiary carboxyl groups, such as 2,2-dimethyloctanoic acid (for example, Versatic acids, Shell). Highly suitable are preparations of these Bi(III) salts in excess fractions of these carboxylic acids. A solution which has been found outstanding is that of 1 mol of the Bi(III) salt of Versatic 10 acid (2,2-dimethyloctanoic acid) in an excess of 3 mol of this acid, with a Bi content of approximately 17%.
The catalysts are used preferably in amounts of 0.03% to 0.1 % by weight, based on the polyol a).
Antioxidants suitable for the polyurethane gels of the invention include, in particular, sterically hindered phenolic stabilizers, such as BHT (2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenol), Vulkanox BKF (2,2 min -methylene-bis-(6-tert-butyl-4-methyl phenol) (Bayer AG), Irganox 1010 (pentaerythrityl tetrakis[3-(3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)propionate]), Irganox 1076 (octadecyl 3-(3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)propionate) (Ciba-Geigy) or tocopherol (vitamin E). Preference is given to using those of the a-tocopherol type. The antioxidants are used preferably in amounts of 0.15% to 0.5% by weight, based on polyol a).
The isocyanate index (ratio of the free NCO groups used in the reaction to the free OH
groups) of the polyurethane gel compositions of the invention is situated, depending on the functionality of the isocyanate components and polyol components employed, in the range from 0.30 to 0.70, preferably in the range from 0.45 to 0.60. The isocyanate index necessary for gel formation can be estimated very easily by the following formula:
-1 (polyol) ~ ~~(isocyanale)~ ~~ ° index ~ 2 i~ldex M ~(polyol) ~ ~~(isocyar~ate) y ~~
f: functionality of the isocyanate or polyol component Depending on the target stickiness or elasticity of the gel, the isocyanate index for actual use may deviate by up to t 20% from the calculated figure.
The polyurethane gel compositions of the invention are prepared by customary processes, as described for example in Becker/Braun, Kunststoff-Handbuch, vol.
7, Polyurethane, p. 121 ff, Carl-Hauser, 1983.

With further preference polyurethane gels are employed of the kind disclosed in EP 0 665 856 B1.
The hydrophilic polyurethanes are obtainable, accordingly, from 1. a polyurethane gel which comprises (A) 25-62% by weight, preferably 30-60% by weight, more preferably 40-57% by weight, based on the total of (A) and (B), of a covalently crosslinked polyurethane as high molecular weight matrix and (B) 75-38% by weight, preferably 70-40% by weight, more preferably 60-43% by weight, based on the total of (A) and (B), of one or more polyhydroxyl compounds which are firmly bound in the matrix by secondary valence forces and have an average molecular weight between 1000 and 12 000, preferably between 1500 and 8000, more preferably between 2000 and 6000, and an average OH number between 20 and 112, preferably between 25 and 84, more preferably between 28 and 56, as liquid dispersant, the dispersant being substantially free of hydroxyl compounds with a molecular weight below 800, preferably below 1000, more preferably below 1500, and also, where appropriate, (C) 0 to 100% by weight, based on the total of (A) and (B), of fillers and/or additives, and which is obtainable by reacting a mixture of a) one or more polyisocyanates, b) one or more polyhydroxyl compounds with an average molecular weight between 1000 and 12 000, and with an average OH number between 20 and 112, c) where appropriate, catalysts or accelerators for the reaction between isocyanate groups and hydroxyl groups, and, where appropriate, d) fillers and additives known per se from polyurethane chemistry, this mixture being substantially free of hydroxyl compounds with a molecular weight below 800, the average functionality of the polyisocyanates (F,) being between 2 and 4, the average functionality of the polyhydroxyl compound (FP) being between 3 and 6, and the isocyanate index (K) conforming to the formula K= 300~X +7 (F~ ~Fp)-1 in which X < 120, preferably X < 100, more preferably X <_ 90, and the index K
is at values between 15 and 70, the stated average values of molecular weight and OH number being understood as number averages, 2. a water-absorbing material and/or 3. a nonaqueous foaming agent.
When preparing preferentially self-adhesive polyurethanes it is necessary to take account, when selecting the gel-forming components, of compliance with the conditions defined above, since, otherwise, tack-free elastic gels are obtained rather than self-adhering gels.
Preferred polyhydroxyl compounds are polyether polyols, of the kind specified exhaustively in the laid-open specifications recited above.
Suitable polyisocyanate components include not only (cyclo)aliphatic but also aromatic isocyanates. Preferred (cyclo)aliphatic polyisocyanates are hexamethylene 1,6-diisocyanate and also its biurets and trimers, and hydrogenated diphenylmethane diisocyanate ("MDI") products. Preferred aromatic polyisocyanates are those obtained by distillation, such as MDI mixtures of 4,4' and 2,4' isomers or 4,4'-MDI, and also tolylene diisocyanate ("TDI") products.
The diisocyanates may be selected in particular for example from the group of the unmodified aromatic or aliphatic diisocyanates or else from modified products formed by prepolymerization with amines, polyols or polyether polyols.
Advantages that may be stated of the polyurethanes of the invention in comparison to other polymers used for producing dressing materials include the following points:
~ Polyurethane can be provided flexibly as a self-adhesive or nonadhesive matrix.
~ As a self-adhesive system it is possible to dispense with addition of further adhesives, which under certain circumstances give rise to side effects such as maceration, inflammation of the dermal areas, reduction of cutaneous respiration, etc.
~ Polyurethanes prove extremely advantageous over other adhesive materials, such as polyacrylates, rubber, etc., since they contain no allergenic potential.
~ Polyurethane exhibits very good water vapor permeability. This ensures that, in the case of application for a prolonged period, there is no maceration through the release of water by the skin.
~ The oxygen permeability of polyurethane ensures a good supply of oxygen to the covered skin site, thereby countering damage to the tissue.

~ Polyurethane is allergenically neutral, so that following application there is no likelihood of allergic reactions on the part of the body.
~ In contrast to other materials such as hydrocolloids or hydrogels, for example, polyurethane, moreover, shows no tendency to disintegrate on prolonged contact with fluids such as wound exudate. Consequently, on prolonged contact with wound fluid, a .
wound dressing produced from polyurethane does not leave residues in the wound that interfere with further wound healing.
~ Self-adhesive polyurethane loses its adhesion on contact with liquid, so that sticking to newly formed tissue is prevented and, moreover, painless detachment of the wound cover is ensured.
~ Polyurethane wound contact materials of the invention produce a moist wound environment, leading to more rapid wound healing.
Besides the preferred polyurethane matrices, it is also possible to use polymer materials having a different basis.
The silver glass which is to be incorporated, and which impairs the respective underlying crosslinking reaction of the polymer matrix, may be introduced into the matrix, where necessary, following the crosslinking reaction or the formation of the matrix, in the form of a solution or cosmetic emulsion.
Particularly advantageous self-adhesive matrices containing silver glass can be produced from the following solvent-containing or solvent-free filled or unfilled, crosslinking or noncrosslinking, hydrophilic or hydrophobic matrix systems:
Polyisobutylene matrices The pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) matrix for controlled delivery of silver ions from silver glass to the skin, the PSA matrix being free from mineral oils and tackifier resins and being constructed from a) synthetic scaffold polymers based on polyisobutylene, at 25% to 90% by weight, b) amorphous poly-a-olefin, at 5% to 30% by weight, c) an insoluble, especially hydrophilic filler, at 0 to 60% by weight, and d) silver glass, at 0.005% to 10% by weight.

In one advantageous embodiment of the matrix the polyisobutylene is composed of high molecular weight PIB at 5% to 55% by weight and low molecular weight PIB at 20% to 60% by weight.
5 A typical PSA of the invention is therefore composed of the following components:
high molecular weight PIB 5%-55%, preferably 25%-45% by weight low molecular weight PIB 20%-60%, preferably 30%-50% by weight amorphous poly-a-olefin 5%-30%, preferably 5%-10% by weight hydrophilic filler 0-60%, preferably 0-30% by weight 10 silver glass 0.005%-10%, preferably 0.01 %-5% by weight Optionally it is possible in addition to add up to 20% by weight of a permeation promoter (lipophilic solubilizer/enhancer) such as decyl oleate, isopropyl myristate, and isopropyl palmitate (IPM and IPP).
The stated formula constituents are defined more precisely as follows:
High molecular weight PIB denotes:
polyisobutylene having a weight-average molecular weight (MW) of 300 000 to 1 100 000, preferably between 650 000 and 850 000. Polymers of this kind are available commercially, for example, under the trade names Oppanol 8100 or Vistanex MM-L80.
Low molecular weight PIB denotes:
polyisobutylene having a weight-average molecular weight (MW) of 40 000 to 300 000, preferably between 60 000 and 100 000. Polymers of this kind are available commercially, for example, under the trade names Oppanol B15 or Vistanex LMMH.
Amorphous poly-a-olefin denotes:
amorphous copolymers based on ethylene and propylene, butylene or 1-hexene.
The preferred weight-average molecular weight (MW) is 5000 to 100 000, preferably between 10 000 and 30 000. Polymers of this kind are available commercially, for example, under the trade names Eastoflex~ or Vestoplast~.
In the stated polymer matrix, insoluble, hydrophilic particles based on cellulose are considered hydrophilic fillers. Preference is given to an average particle size of less than or equal to 100 ~m with an extremely uniform surface. Materials of this kind are available commercially, for example, under the trade names Avicel and Elcema.

The PIB matrix is preferably produced in a process in which all of the components of the PSA matrix are homogenized in the melt, with the addition of solvent being omitted.
With particular preference all of the components are processed in a continuous or batch operation at a temperature below 100°C.
Further advantageous embodiments of the polyisobutylene matrices that may be used can be taken from publications DE 100 56 010 or DE 100 56 011, which are hereby expressly part of the disclosure content of the present invention.
Polyacrylic acid matrices Polyacrylates are likewise advantageous in the sense of the matrices of the invention.
Polyacrylates advantageous in accordance with the invention are acrylate-alkyl acrylate copolymers, particularly those selected from the group of products known as carbomers or Carbopols (Carbopol~ is a registered trade mark of the B.F. Goodrich Company). In particular, the acrylate-alkyl acrylate copolymer or copolymers which are advantageous in accordance with the invention are distinguished by the following structure:
CI~~- ~
C
O
__ y In this formula R' is a long-chain alkyl radical and x and y are numbers which symbolize the respective stoichiometric fraction of each of the comonomers.
Particular preference in accordance with the invention is given to acrylate copolymers and/or acrylate-alkyl acrylate copolymers which are available from the B.F.
Goodrich Company under the commercial designations Carbopol~ 1382, Carbopol~ 981, and Carbopol~ 5984, preferably polyacrylates from the group of the Carbopols of grades 980, 981, 1382, 2984, and 5984, and more preferably carbomer 2001.

Further of advantage are copolymers of C,o_3o alkyl acrylates and one or more monomers of acrylic acid, methacrylic acid or esters thereof which are cross-linked with an allyl ether of sucrose or with an allyl ether of pentaerythritol.
Advantageous compounds are those bearing the INCI name "Acrylates/C,o-so Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer". Particularly advantageous are those obtainable under the commercial designations Pemulen TR1 and Pemulen TR2 from the B.F. Goodrich Company.
Advantageous compounds include those bearing the INCI name Ammonium acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vinylpyrrolidone copolymers.
Advantageously in accordance with the invention the Ammonium acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vinylpyrrolidone copolymer or copolymers have the empirical formula [C,H,6N2S04]n[C6H9NO~m, corresponding to a statistical structure as follows O
Preferred species in the sense of the present invention are set down in Chemical Abstracts under the Registry numbers 58374-69-9, 13162-05-5 and 88-12-0, and are obtainable under the commercial designation Aristoflex~ AVC from the company Clariant GmbH.
Of advantage, furthermore, are copolymers/crosspolymers comprising Acryloyldimethyl Taurate, such as Simugel~ EG or Simugel~ EG from the company Seppic S.A.

In the case of a preferred polyacrylic acid matrix of the invention containing silver glass, the polyacrylic acid is crosslinked with the aid of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP).
Crosslinking proceeds via the formation of a quaternary ammonium salt of PVP.
This kind of crosslinking leads to organic salts which, in contrast to the known metal-salt crosslinking agents, are attached via the hydroxy functions of the polyacrylic acid molecules. As in the case of the metal salts, the reaction is reversible and can be reversed by adding water or acids. The viscosity of the resultant gel can be controlled not only by the amount of crosslinker but also via the molecular weight of the PVP. In this relationship, high molecular weights lead to gels with low viscosity, and low molecular weights to gels with high viscosity and bond strength. The advantage of this kind of crosslinking is the tailored preparation, via the parameters of PVP fraction and PVP
molecular weight, of gel matrices whose tack, cohesiveness, and viscosity can be adjusted individually to the particular area of application.
This effect of the influence of the molecular weight of the PVP on the viscosity and bond strength of the gel matrix can be attributed to the following finding: In the case of long-chain PVP the number of pyrrolidone subunits per macromolecule is significantly higher than in the case of short-chain PVP. As a result there is an increased incidence of reactions of the same reactants with one another, since the macromolecules are readily able to orient themselves to form bundles. These reactions do not lead to the formation of linkage points with two or more polyacrylic acid molecules. There are therefore only a few cross-connections made to other polyacrylic acid molecules, and hence only a few, large meshes are linked. This circumstance leads to a relatively loosely linked gel of low viscosity. In the case of short-chain PVP, in contrast, because of the greater mobility and lower tendency of the molecules to undergo orientation to strands, a greater number of links to different polyacrylic acid molecules are formed, leading to a narrower mesh size and to a lower flexibility and viscosity on the part of the gel.
The viscosity of the gels can be controlled, furthermore, via other factors as well. Thus, for example, the amount of PVP plays a co-determining part with regard to the structure of the gel. When a saturation point is exceeded, competing reactions of the free PVP
molecules with those which have already crosslinked occur. These competitive reactions lead to crosslinking points being broken open in favor of unlinked aggregates of polyacrylic acid and the excess PVP molecules. The consequence of this oversaturation is a decrease in the total number of linkage points and hence a reduction in the gel viscosity. A further possibility which can be utilized for controlling the gel viscosity is the addition of protic solvents (e.g., water, alcohols, amines, thiols) or organic proton donors (carboxylic acids, salicylic acid for example) or inorganic agents (e.g., Lewis acids). Here, compounds from the classes of substance of the tertiary polyamines and of the polyamides, especially, are appropriate. In each of these cases the addition of the agents contributes to diminishing the coordination sites either on the polyacrylic acid or on the PVP. As a result the number of potential linkage points for the formation of gel meshes is lowered, which has a direct influence on the viscosity of the gel.
Furthermore, the resultant gel properties of the matrices can be influenced by way of the molecular weight, degree of substitution, and degree of crosslinking of the polyacrylic acid employed.
In order to produce particular performance properties the gel matrices are admixed with the appropriate plasticizers, solubilizers, penetration enhancers, fillers and/or other known additions.
Polyacrylates advantageous as a gel basis are acrylate-alkyl acrylate copolymers, particularly those selected from the group of products known as carbomers or Carbopols (Carbopol~ is actually a registered trade mark of the B.F. Goodrich Company).
In particular, the advantageous acrylate-alkyl acrylate copolymer or copolymers are distinguished by the following structure:
j Hs CH2-CH CH2- #
C=0 C=O
OH
x y In this formula R' is a long-chain alkyl radical and x and y are numbers which symbolize the respective stoichiometric fraction of each of the comonomers.
Particular preference in accordance with the invention is given to acrylate copolymers and/or acrylate-alkyl acrylate copolymers which are available from the B.F.
Goodrich Company under the commercial designations Carbopol~ 1382, Carbopol~ 981, and Carbopol~ 5984, preferably polyacrylates from the group of the Carbopols of grades 980, 981, 1382, 2984, and 5984, and more preferably carbomer 2001.
Further of advantage are copolymers of C,o_3o alkyl acrylates and one or more monomers of acrylic acid, methacrylic acid or esters thereof which are cross-linked with an allyl ether of sucrose or with an allyl ether of pentaerythritol.

Polyacrylic acid and/or copolymers thereof are used preferably in an amount of 5%-55%
by weight, more preferably between 5%-30% by weight. All percentages here are based on weight fractions of gel matrix, unless something to the contrary is specified.
5 The crosslinker used is polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) e.g., Luviskol from BASF, preferably in an amount of 0.25%-60% by weight, more preferably between 1 %-30% by weight. To the same degree it is also possible to use PVP copolymers such as, for example, vinylpyrrolidone-vinyl acetate (povidone acetate; Kollidon VA 64), terpolymers based on vinylpyrrolidone and acrylic acid or methacrylic acid and/or their esters (Luviflex VBM 35), 10 copolymers of vinylpyrrolidone and vinylimidazolium methochloride (Luviquat products) as a so-called PVP crosslinking agent.
As further gel constituents it is possible to employ polyalcohol or polyalcohols, e.g., 1,2 propanediol, glycerol, and/or water, preferably in an amount of 5%-90% by weight, more 15 preferably between 5%-45% by weight.
Further constituents of the gel matrix can be solubilizers, e.g., polyethylene glycols (Lutrol E400, E600 from BASF) in an amount of 0-50% by weight, preferably 0-30% by weight, neutralizing agents, e.g., tromethamol, triethanolamine and/or dexpanthenol, in 20 an amount 0-30% by weight, preferably 0-15% by weight, filler(s), e.g., silica, micronized cellulose and/or gelatin, in an amount of 0-30% by weight, preferably 3%-15%
by weight, and natural active substance(s), e.g., menthol or jojoba oil, in an amount of 0-35% by weight, preferably 0-15% by weight.
These polyacrylic acid matrices containing silver glass are produced solventlessly, preferably at room temperature, in commercially customary compounders or suitable extruders.
Further advantageous embodiments of polyacrylic acid matrices for use as the matrix containing silver glass can be taken from patent application DE 101 42 918, which hereby is expressly part of the disclosure content of the present invention.
Silicone matrices The moisture-absorbing, silicone-based matrix containing silver glass for cosmetic or pharmaceutical skin treatment, with a PSA matrix, is composed of a) silicone b) gel former c) where appropriate, a silicone resin.
In a first advantageous embodiment of the invention the matrix has the following composition:
a) silicone: 55% to 80%, particularly60% to 75% by weight b) gel former:20% to 40%, particularly25% to 40% by weight c) silver glass:0.01 % to particularly0.5%-5% by weight 10%, Silicones are processed as one- or two-component systems. Crosslinking is generally accomplished as polycondensation, with elimination of acetic acid, or as polyaddition, using a platinum catalyst.
For producing the matrices described a commercially customary two-component system comprising polydimethylsiloxane (see figure) was used, namely Q7-9600 A+B;
from Dow Corning, H3C-Si~--O Si-O Si-CH3 CHI CHI ~H3 n To adjust the bond strength, optionally, a polydimethylsiloxane crosslinked with silicone resin (PSA MD 74602; from Dow Corning) was used.
Water absorbency on the part of the matrix was achieved by incorporating gel former having a high relative surface area in amounts such that the gel former can have intermolecular cross-connections from the surface to the interior of the matrix. Gel formers of this kind are, for example, polyacrylic acid, polyacrylonitrile or microcrystalline cellulose. Use was made primarily of polyacrylic acid products of the Carbopol series, Goodrich Corp.
To vary the water absorbency, additionally, strong gel formers with a low relative surface area were incorporated, such as, for example, sodium polyacrylate (Favorsorb;
from Stockhausen).

Preparation takes place at room temperature in commercially customary mixers.
First of all, in the case of 2-component systems, the two silicone components are mixed with one another. Thereafter, where necessary, the silicone resin component is stirred in, then the gel former or formers are incorporated, and, finally, silver glass is stirred in.
The matrix is coated onto a backing and the solvent of the silicone resin component is allowed to evaporate from the matrix. The duration of the crosslinking reaction of the silicone matrix can be controlled as a function of temperature. The adhesive side of the matrix is lined with a release backing.
Optionally, the silver glass that is to be incorporated can also be introduced after the crosslinking reaction, in the form of a solution or in a cosmetic emulsion, via the channels of the gel formers.
Further advantageous embodiments of silicone matrices for use as a matrix containing silver glass can be found in patent application DE 101 14 382, which hereby is expressly part of the disclosure content of the present invention.
Rubber matrices The moisture-absorbing, rubber-based matrix containing silver glass for cosmetic or pharmaceutical skin treatment, having a PSA matrix, is composed of a) rubber b) tackifier resins c) hydrophilic, water-absorbing, dispersed solid d) aging inhibitor system In one advantageous embodiment of the invention this matrix has the following composition:
silver glass 0.1 % to particularly0.5%-5% by 10%, weight a) rubber 20%-70%, particularly30%-50% by weight b) tackifier resin 10%-50%, particularly20%-40% by weight c) filler 10%-30%, particularly12%-20% by weight d) aging inhibitor system particularly1 %-3% by weight 0.5%-5%, Rubber adhesives in the form indicated are processed in solution. The rubber used is of either natural or synthetic origin. The mechanical properties of the various grades produce, in the mix of a formula, the desired scaffold properties of a rubber adhesive.

The tackifier resins employed impart the necessary pressure-sensitive adhesion or tack.
Plasticizers, such as mineral oils, serve to fine-tune the mechanical properties of the formula.
Water absorbency on the part of the matrix was obtained by distributing a hydrophilic, water-absorbing solid in fine dispersion in the formula.
As a group of substance, plant root flours and starch flours are preferably employed; also possible are celluloses and their derivatives and also other water-absorbing solids. The water absorbency can be influenced by the identity and amount of the hydrophilic solid.
Owing to their chemistry, rubber adhesives are sensitive to oxidation. They must therefore be furnished with a suitable aging inhibitor system. As well as functioning as an antioxidant, this system must also be physiologically unobjectionable.
Production takes place at room temperature in commercially customary mixers.
The rubber constituents are dissolved in a suitable solvent and then the remaining components, including the active substance, are added.
The composition is coated onto a backing and the solvent is evaporated from the composition. The duration of the evaporation procedure can be controlled as a function of temperature. The adhesive side of the composition is lined with a release backing.
SBC hotmelt matrices In the case of the PSA matrix for controlled delivery of silver glass to the skin, the scaffold-forming substance of the PSA matrix is formed by styrene block copolymers (SBC).
In one advantageous version the latex-free PSA has the composition indicated below:
5% to 90% by weight of block copolymers, 5% to 80% by weight of tackifiers such as oils, waxes, resins and/or mixtures thereof, preferably mixtures of resins and oils, less than 60% by weight of plasticizers, less than 15% by weight of additives, less than 5% by weight of stabilizers, less than 10% by weight of additions containing silver glass.
The aliphatic or aromatic oils, waxes, and resins which serve as tackifiers are preferably hydrocarbon-based oils, waxes and resins, the oils (such as paraffinic hydrocarbon oils) or the waxes (such as paraffinic hydrocarbon waxes) having a favorable effect on the adhesion by virtue of their consistency. In one special form the adhesive includes at least one aliphatic hydrocarbon resin and at least one aromatic hydrocarbon resin.
Plasticizers used are medium- or long-chain fatty acids and/or their esters. These additions serve to adjust the adhesive properties and the stability. Where appropriate, further stabilizers and other auxiliaries are employed.
The cohesive adhesive can be filled with mineral fillers, fibers, and hollow or solid microbeads.
Optionally it is also possible in addition to add up to 15% by weight of a permeation promoter as a lipophilic solubilizer, such as, for example, decyl oleate or isopropyl myristate and isopropyl palmitate (IPM and IPP).
The matrix is produced preferably by means of processes in which all components of the PSA matrix are homogenized in the melt, with the addition of solvents being omitted.
With particular preference, all of the components are processed in continuous or batch operation at a temperature below 100°C.
Moisture-adhesive polymer film based on PVA/PAA
The moisture-activated self-adhesive polymer film for disinfectant delivery of silver ions from silver glass comprises a homogeneous mixture of polyvinyl alcohol having an average molar weight of 20 000 to 100 000 g/mol, preferably 28 000 to 40 000 g/mol, and a degree of hydrolysis of 80% to 95%, preferably 85% to 90%, and polyacrylic acid having an average molar weight of 450 000 to 4 000 000, preferably 1 300 000 to 4 000 000 g/mol, the weight ratio of polyvinyl alcohol to polyacrylic acid in the polymer film being situated in the range 10:1 to 1:1.
In one advantageous embodiment the moisture-activated self-adhesive polymer film contains 0.001 %-10% of silver glass.
This wound dressing of the invention constitutes a solvent-free matrix system formed from the synthetic polymers polyvinyl alcohol and polyacrylic acid, which adheres only to the moist wound region, which, after the wound has healed, detaches automatically and painlessly and can be produced inexpensively with simple technical means.
Furthermore, the wound dressing is permeable to air and water vapor.

Wound dressings which have been found particularly suitable are those for which the weight ratio of polyvinyl alcohol to polyacrylic acid in the film is in the range 5:1 to 3:1.
The moisture-activated self-adhesive polymer film may additionally be equipped with 5 other active substances for wound treatment. For improved wound healing, therefore, the wound dressing may be doped with active pharmaceutical and/or cosmetic substances for continuous release into the wound. Preferred active pharmaceutical substances that may be mentioned include dexpanthenol, lidocaine, and urea; preferred active cosmetic substances that may be mentioned include, for example, the groups of the flavonoids 10 and sericosides. The fraction of active substances in the wound dressing is advantageously 0.01 % to 10% by weight. The active substance is introduced into the polymer matrix in the course of polymer formation by known processes.
In its simplest embodiment the wound dressing can be applied as a thin film for physical 15 covering and/or for protecting against infection, application taking place to moist superficial wounds. Owing to the transparency of the film it is possible in this case to observe the course of wound healing over time, without removing the wound cover, and without the need for painful redetachment of the dressing and the application of a new wound dressing, as in the case of conventional wound dressings.
To increase the internal strength of the wound dressing it is possible for the polymer film to be embossed on one or two sides. Similarly, by means of an inserted mesh of synthetic or natural fabric, the polymer film can be given a reinforced configuration.
Examples of suitable fabrics include cotton net fabrics with a mesh size of 1 to 2 mm or a perforated nonwoven of 67% viscose and 33% polyester.
In a further embodiment the polymer matrix is lined on one side with a backing material (wovens, nonwovens, foams, plastics, etc.) and applied as a composite film.
Depending on the backing material used it is possible by this means to control the water vapor permeability, the strength of the wound cover, the cushioning against pressure, and other physical properties of the wound cover.
The co-decisive advantage of the polymer film is its property of being self-adhesive on a moist base, which renders additional application of an adhesion layer to the matrix, for the purpose of fixing the wound dressing in the region of the skin, superfluous. One of the consequences of this is an inexpensive and simple mode of production.

The particular property of the moist adhesive property of the wound dressing of the invention is explained by the finely divided incorporation of the hydrophilic polyacrylic acid into an only moderately hydrophilic polyvinyl alcohol network. By virtue of their carboxylate function, polyacrylates of the invention have a strong charge affinity for water. In the case of superficial injuries of the skin, this moisture, which is needed for the adhesive properties, is present in the form of exudate and blood, and the wound dressing therefore attaches itself firmly by suction to the wound, with formation of gel. The substantially lower hydrophilicity of the polyvinyl alcohol ensures a uniform distribution of the moisture in the polymer matrix. As a result of the deficient gel formation capacity of the polyvinyl alcohol, however, the strength of the matrix is retained. As soon as the wound no longer supplies sufficient moisture, owing to advancing healing, the polyacrylic acid gel fraction dries out and the matrix thus loses it adhesion.
Inventively advantageous polyacrylates are acrylate-alkyl acrylate copolymers, as described under the heading Polyacrylic acid matrices.
The invention likewise comprises conventional wound contact materials, equipped on the surface with the polymer film described in accordance with the invention. The bonding/disbonding characteristics of the wound contact materials of commercially customary plasters can hence be controlled. For production, a corresponding commercially customary wound contact material is impregnated with the polymer mixture, which still contains water, and only then is it dried.
To produce the moisture-adhesive film, a film-forming polymer of high cohesiveness such as, for example, polyvinyl alcohol (Mowiol 18/88; from Hoechst) having an average molar weight of 20 000 to 100 000 g/mol, preferably 28 000 to 40 000 g/mol, and a degree of hydrolysis of 80% to 95%, preferably 85% to 90%, is combined with a gel-forming polyacrylic acid polymer, such as, for example, Carbopol 980 from Goodrich, having an average molar weight of 450 000-4 000 000 g/mol, preferably 1 300 000 to 4 000 000 g/mol, the weight ratio of polyvinyl alcohol to polyacrylic acid being in the range 10:1 to 1:1.
Both polymers are dissolved or swollen in water as solvent at 60 to 90°C in an agitator with forced mixing, such as a compounder, for example, and are homogeneously mixed with one another. Thereafter the viscous mass which results is coated out flat and then dried to form the film.

To modify the physical properties of the film, such as the elasticity, it is possible to incorporate corresponding additions during the kneading operation, such as polyethylene glycol (Lutrol E400; from BASF), etc.
As active pharmaceutical/cosmetic substances it is possible in addition to incorporate wound healing promoters, e.g., dexpanthenol, and/or other substances into the matrix.
Thermally sensitive active substances which do not permit incorporation into the matrix at 60 to 90°C can be incorporated by first producing the matrix without active substance, and drying it. These temperature-sensitive active substances, in solution in a hydrophilic medium, can then be drawn up by suction through the matrix. The matrix is subsequently dried again by evaporation of the solvent at room temperature or in a freeze-drying unit.
To set a particularly skin-friendly pH of the moisture-adhesive polymer film, and/or in order to influence the gel properties of the moist polyacrylic acid, it is likewise possible to incorporate corresponding pH corrigents into the matrix, such as trometamol, triethanolamine, etc.
Optionally to the production in a compounder, the polymer film can also be produced continuously in an extruder.
Hydrocolloids The group of the cosmetically and pharmaceutically relevant hydrocolloids can be divided as follows into:
organic, natural compounds, such as, for example, agar agar, carrageen, tragacanth, gum arabic, alginates, pectins, polyoses, guar flour, carob bean flour, starch, dextrins, gelatins, casein, . organic, modified natural substances, such as, for example, carboxymethylcellulose and other cellulose ethers, hydroxyethylcellulose and hydroxypropylcellulose, and microcrystalline cellulose, organic, fully synthetic compounds, such as, for example, polyacrylic and polymethacrylic compounds, vinyl polymers, polycarboxylic acids, polyethers, polyimines, polyamides, polyurethanes inorganic compounds, such as, for example, polysilicic acids, clay minerals such as montmorillonites, zeolites, silicas.
Microcrystalline cellulose is an advantageous hydrocolloid for the matrices of the invention. It is obtainable, for example, from the "FMC Corporation Food and Pharma-ceutical Products" under the trade name AvicelO. A particularly advantageous product for the purposes of the present invention is the AvicelO grade RC-591, which is modified microcrystalline cellulose which is composed of 89% of microcrystalline cellulose and 11 % of sodium carboxymethylcellulose. Further commercial products of this class of raw material are Avicel~ RC/ CL, Avicel~ CE-15, and Avicel~ 500.
Further hydrocolloids which are advantageous are, for example, methylcelluloses, which is the term used for the methyl ethers of cellulose. They are characterized by the following structural formula 'O O RO O' RO O

n in which R may be a hydrogen or a methyl group.
Particularly advantageous for the purposes of the matrices of the invention are the cellulose mixed ethers, generally likewise referred to as methylcelluloses, which contain, in addition to a predominance of methyl groups, additionally 2-hydroxyethyl groups, 2-hydroxypropyl groups or 2-hydroxybutyl groups. Particular preference is given to (hydroxypropyl)methylcelluloses: for example, those available under the trade name Methocel~ E4M from Dow Chemical Comp.
Also advantageous according to the invention is sodium carboxymethylcellulose, the sodium salt of the glycolic acid ether of cellulose, for which R in the structural formula may be a hydrogen and/or CH2-COONa. Particular preference is given to the sodium carboxymethylcellulose available under the trade name Natrosol Plus 330 CS
from Aqualon and also referred to as cellulose gum.
Further preferred for the purposes of the matrices of the invention is xanthan (CAS No.
11138-66-2), also called xanthan gum, which is an anionic heteropolysaccharide which is usually formed by fermentation from corn sugar and is isolated as the potassium salt. It is produced by Xanthomonas campestris and some other species under aerobic conditions and has a molecular weight of from 2x106 to 24X106. Xanthan is formed from a chain comprising ~3-1,4-bonded glucose (cellulose) with side chains. The structure of the subgroups consists of glucose, mannose, glucuronic acid, acetate, and pyruvate.
Xanthan is the name given to the first microbial anionic heteropolysaccharide.
It is produced by Xanthomonas campestris and some other species under aerobic conditions and has a molecular weight of 2-15 106. Xanthan is formed from a chain comprising ~i-1,4-bonded glucose (cellulose) with side chains. The structure of the subgroups consists of glucose, mannose, glucuronic acid, acetate, and pyruvate. The number of pyruvate units determines the viscosity of the xanthan. Xanthan is produced in two-day batch cultures with a yield of 70-90%, based on carbohydrate used. In this process, yields of 25-30 g/I are achieved. After the culture has been killed off, work-up takes place by precipitation with, for example, 2-propanol. Xanthan is then dried and ground.
An advantageous gel former for the purposes of the matrices of the invention is also carrageen, a gel-forming extract with a similar structure to agar, from North Atlantic red algae which belong to the Florideae (Chondrus crispus and Gigartina stellata).
The term carrageen is frequently used for the dried algal product and carrageenan for the extract thereof. The carrageen precipitated from the hot-water extract of the algae is a colorless to sand-colored powder with a molecular weight range of 100 000-and a sulfate content of about 25%. Carrageen, which is very readily soluble in warm water, forms a thixotropic gel upon cooling, even if the water content is 95-98%. The rigidity of the gel is effected by the double helix structure of carrageen. In the case of carrageenan, three main constituents are differentiated: the gel-forming K
fraction consists of D-galactose 4-sulfate and 3,6-anhydro-a-D-galactose, which have alternate glycoside bonds in the 1,3- and 1,4-position (by contrast, agar contains 3,6-anhydro-a-L-galactose). The nongelling ~, fraction is composed of 1,3-glycosidically linked D-galactose 2-sulfate and 1,4-bonded D-galactose 2,6-disulfate radicals, and is readily soluble in cold water. ~-Carrageenan, composed of D-galactose 4-sulfate in 1,3 bond and 3,6-anhydro-a-D-galactose 2-sulfate in 1,4 bond, is both water-soluble and gel-forming.
Further carrageen grades are likewise referred to using Greek letters: a, ~, y, ~,, v, i;, ~, c~, x. The type of cations present (K+, NH4+, Na+, Mgz+, CaZ+) also influences the solubility of the carrageens.
The use of chitosan in cosmetic preparations is known per se. Chitosan represents a partially deacylated chitin. This biopolymer has, inter alia, film-forming properties and is characterized by a silky feel on the skin. A disadvantage, however, is its severe stickiness on the skin, which occurs in particular - temporarily - during application. In individual cases, corresponding preparations may not then be marketable since they are unacceptable to and/or viewed negatively by the consumer. As is known, chitosan is used, for example, in haircare. It is suitable, to a better degree than the chitin on which it is based, as a thickener or stabilizer and improves the adhesion and water resistance of polymeric films. A representative of a large number of literature references for the prior art is: H.P. Fiedler, "Lexikon der Hilfsstoffe fur Pharmazie, Kosmetik and angrenzende 5 Gebiete" [Lexicon of Auxiliaries for Pharmacy, Cosmetics and Related Fields], third edition 1989, Editio Cantor, Aulendorf, p. 293, keyword "Chitosan".
Chitosan is characterized by the following structural formula:
H20H ~ CH20H
OH
OH ~ ~n ~ ~ OH
NH-X ~ NH-X
10 ~ n where n assumes values of up to about 10 000, and X is either the acetyl radical or hydrogen. Chitosan forms by deacetylation and partial depolymerization (hydrolysis) of chitin, which is characterized by the structural formula H
OH ~O OH
H
NH-CO NH-CO -CO

Chitin is an essential constituent of the ectoskeleton ['o xwcw = Greek:
integument] of arthropods (e.g., insects, crabs, spiders) and is also found in supporting tissues of other organisms (e.g., mollusks, algae, fungi).
In the region of about pH <6, chitosan is positively charged and in that range is also soluble in aqueous systems. It is incompatible with anionic raw materials. For this reason, to prepare chitosan-containing oil-in-water emulsions, the use of nonionic emulsifiers is appropriate. These are known per se, from EP 0 776 657 A1 for example.

Preference is given according to the invention to chitosans with a degree of deacetylation of > 25%, in particular > 55 to 99% [determined by means of'H-NMR]).
It is advantageous to choose chitosans with molecular weights between 10 000 and 1 000 000, in particular those with molecular weights between 100 000 and 1 [determined by means of gel permeation chromatography].
Gel matrix based on agar agar/PAA
The self-adhesive polymer matrix comprising a polymer which is gel-forming in water preferably comprises at least one polyacrylic acid polymer, water, seaweed extract, and alcohol, and also silver glass for disinfectant delivery of silver ions to the skin or wound.
The matrix is composed of a polymer which is gel-forming in water, preferably polyacrylic acid gel, as a bond strength-determining component. The seaweed extract used is preferably agar agar. The alcohol used comprises, in particular, monohydric or polyhydric alcohols, preferably glycerol, which act as consistency factors.
A seaweed extract preferred for use besides agar agar is carrageenan.
Carrageenan is a hydrophilic polysaccharide of high molecular weight, which is obtained from various red algae, principally Chondrus crispus, by hot-water extraction, followed by freezing-out and subsequent purification. The structure of carrageenan is composed primarily of repeating galactose and 3,6 anhydrogalactose units, both in both sulfated and unsulfated form. The most important difference between kappa, iota, and lambda carrageenan is the number and position of the ester sulfate groups on the repeating galactose units.
Carrageenan can form gel only in the presence of cations. Inventively preferred are kappa and iota carrageenan, which form gels in the presence of calcium ions (kappa and iota) and potassium and ammonium ions (kappa only). Particularly advantageous is the use of corresponding cation hydroxides, since the polyacrylic acid that is likewise used to produce gel matrix systems of the invention requires neutralization for the formation of stable gels.
Carrageenan is available industrially, for example, from Lehmann & Voss & Co.
under the names Gelcarin, Viscarin, and Seaspen.
Seaweed extract, such as agar agar with particular preference in accordance with the invention, is a hydrophilic colloid of polysaccharide structure, composed of the gelling agarose and the nongelling agaropectin, which is obtained from a variety of seaweeds of the Rhodophyceae class by means of hot-water extraction, followed by freezing-out and subsequent purification. Agar agar is available industrially, for example, from Riedel de Haen AG.
The extract, especially agar agar or carrageenan, is used preferably in an amount of 0.1 %-15% by weight, more preferably between 0.5%-5% by weight. All percentages here are based on weight fractions of the polymer matrix, in the absence of any indication to the contrary.
Mono- or polyhydric alcohols such as glycerol (1,2,3-propanetriol), for example, are pharmaceutical industry auxiliaries which enjoy widespread use, among other things, as solubilizers or humectants.
Mono- or polyhydric alcohols such as glycerol are inventively used preferably in an amount of 1 %-85% by weight, more preferably between 5%-45% by weight.
The fraction of polymer which is gel-forming in water, such as polyacrylic acid gel, in the matrix governs the adhesion. In contrast to agar agar, however, polyacrylic acid forms gels both with water and with alcohols, so that the adhesion formulated through the polyacrylic acid fraction remains constant independently of the respective alcohol fraction.
The fraction of silver glass in the matrix is preferably 0.001 %-10% by weight.
Inventively advantageous polyacrylates are acrylate-alkyl acrylate copolymers, as described under the heading Polyacrylic acid matrices.
Further of advantage are copolymers of C,o_so alkyl acrylates and one or more monomers of acrylic acid, of methacrylic acid or esters thereof, which are cross-linked with an allyl ether of sucrose or with an allyl ether of pentaerythritol.
The polymer which is gel-forming in water, especially polyacrylic acid and/or copolymers thereof, is used preferably in an amount of 2%-55% by weight, more preferably between 5%-30% by weight.
The polymer matrices are produced without the use of organic solvents, preferably at 40-95°C, in commercially customary mixers/compounders or continuously in suitable extruders.
Other polymers which form gel in water include baobab flour.
In this way it is possible, using only water, polymer which forms gel in water, seaweed extract, and monohydric or polyhydric alcohol as starting materials, to produce, in a targeted fashion, soft, smooth, self-adhesive hydrogel matrices as a basis for production and use as silver glass-containing patches, TTS, cataplasms or pads.
In order to produce particular performance properties it is possible for the polymer matrices to be admixed with appropriate plasticizers, solubilizers, penetration enhancers, neutralizing agents such as tromethamol (2-amino-2-(hydroxymethyl)-1,3-propanediol), triethanolamine (2,2',2"-nitrilotriethanol) or NaOH, for example, fillers and/or other known additives, although it is not mandatory to add them.
The gel matrix can thus be doped with hydrophilic active substances, or else, given an appropriate solubilizer, with hydrophobic active substances, for wound healing or skincare. In the case of incorporation of hydrophobic active substances it may be of benefit to use cyclodextrins for encapsulation.
Cyclodextrins (cycloamyloses, cycloglucans) are known per se in cosmetic and pharmaceutical preparations.
Improving the solubility of substances of sparing solubility, in the presence of cyclodextrins in an aqueous medium, has been described for individual substances.
Advantage may be possessed both by the inclusion compounds ~of a substance, also called the guest, with a cyclodextrin species - in this context both 1:1 or 1:2 complexes and complexes with other molar ratios (guest : cyclodextrin) are possible -and by the physical mixture thereof.
The cyclodextrins are cyclic oligosaccharides composed of a-1,4-linked glucose units. In general, six to eight glucose units (a-, ~-, or y-cyclodextrin) are joined to one another.
Cyclodextrins are obtained when starch is acted on by Bacillus macerans. They possess a hydrophobic interior and a hydrophilic exterior. By virtue of their structure, cyclodextrins and their derivatives are able to form inclusion complexes. They are suitable for the "molecular encapsulation" of active substances (e.g., as a protective envelope around sensitive molecules in cosmetic and pharmaceutical formulations).
These applications are also described in a series of patents (e.g., WO
98/55148, EP 0 579 435, EP 0 392 608). In these publications, however, usually only one active substance is complexed by the cyclodextrin (derivative). Multi-component inclusion complexes are, it is true, described in EP 0756 493, but when looked at more closely the latter relates to a salt and not to a two-component mixture of acid and base.
The phrase "cyclodextrin and/or a derivative thereof" refers below both to cyclodextrins having different numbers of glucose units in the ring molecule, and to derivatives of these compounds.

H~ U
HOGHZ
OH HO O
HO/ HO CHzOH
HO O
C

HOC OH
HO ~CHZOH

a-Cyclodextrin HOC
p-Cyclodextrin HOC
~CHzOH

In accordance with the invention the cyclodextrin or cyclodextrins is or are used preferably in cosmetic or dermatological compositions in a concentration of 0.0005% to 5 20.0% by weight, in particular 0.01 % to 10% by weight, and more preferably in a concentration of 0.1 % to 5.0% by weight.
It is advantageous in accordance with the invention to use native cyclodextrins or cyclodextrins with polar and/or apolar substitution. These include preferably, but not 10 exclusively, methyl-, especially random-methyl-a-cyclodextrin, ethyl- and also hydroxypropyl-cyclodextrins, such as HP-a-cyclodextrin or HP-y-cyclodextrin, for example.
The cyclodextrin species that are particularly preferred in accordance with the invention are y-cyclodextrin and also hydroxypropyl-(3-cyclodextrin.
Further prior art is contained in the following publications:
K. Uekama et al., Chemical Reviews, 1998, 98, 2045-2076, "Cyclodextrin drug carrier systems"
T. Loftsson, Int. J. Dermatology, 1998, 37, 241-246, "Cyclodextrins: new drug delivery systems in dermatology".
J. Zatz et al. Cosmetics & Toiletries, 1997, 112, July, p. 39 ff, "Applications of cyclodextrins in skin products".
U. Citernesi, Cosmetics & Toiletries, 1995, 110, March, p. 53 ff, Cyclodextrins in functional dermocosmetics.
y-Cycl°dextrin The inventively used cyclodextrins and/or cyclodextrin-guest inclusion complexes and/or the cyclodextrin substance mixtures can be incorporated without difficulties into the polymer matrix.
In one inventively particularly preferred embodiment the polymer matrix or gel matrix contains the active pharmaceutical substances, for controlled local or systemic delivery (in) to the skin, in amounts of 0-35% by weight, preferably 0-15% by weight.
Examples of active substances which can be used include essential oils. By essential oils are meant plant-derived concentrates which as natural raw materials are used primarily in the fragrance and foodstuffs industries and are composed more or less of volatile compounds. Examples that may be mentioned of these compounds include 1,8-cineol, limonene, menthol, borneol and camphor. The term "essential oils" is often used for the volatile constituents still present in the plants. In their true sense, however, essential oils are understood to be mixtures of volatile compounds prepared by steam distillation from plant raw materials.
Essential oils are composed exclusively of volatile components, whose boiling points are in general between 150 and 300°C. They include predominantly hydrocarbons or monofunctional compounds such as aldehydes, alcohols, esters, ethers and ketones.
Parent compounds are mono- and sesquiterpenes, phenylpropane derivatives and longer-chain aliphatic compounds.
In some essential oils, one constituent is dominant (for example, eugenol in clove oil, at more than 85%), while other essential oils constitute complex mixtures of the individual constituents. Often the organoleptic properties are determined not by the main components but by subsidiary or trace constituents, such as, for example, by the 1,3,5-undecatrienes and pyrazines in galbanum oil. The number of identified components in many of the commercially significant essential oils is up into the hundreds. Very many constituents are chiral, with very often one enantiomer being predominant or being present exclusively, such as (-)-menthol in peppermint oil or (-)-linalyl acetate in lavender oil, for example.
Preferred essential oils that may be mentioned include oleum eucalypti, oleum menthae piperitae, oleum camphoratum, oleum rosmarini, oleum thymi, oleum pini sibricum and oleum pini silvestris, and the terpenes 1,8-cineol and levomethanol.
Further essential oils that may be mentioned include oleum abietis albae, oleum anisi, oleum aurantii floris, oleum bargarmottae, oleum calendulae infusum, oleum camphoratum, oleum caryophylli, oleum chamomillae, oleum cinnamomi ceylanici, oleum citri, oleum citronellae, oleum cupressi, oleum cymbopogonis, oleum jecoris, oleum lavendulae, oleum macidis, oleum majoranae, oleum melaleucae viridiflorae, oleum melissae, oleum menthae arvensis, oleum menthae piperatae, oleum millefolium, oleum myrrhae, oleum myrte, oleum oregani, oleum pini sibricum, oleum pinisilvestris, oleum salviae, oleum santali, oleum terebinthinae rectificat., oleum thymi, oleum valerianae, oleum zingiberis and/or tea tree oil.
Peppermint oils are essential oils obtained by steam distillation from leaves and blossoms of various varieties of peppermint, and occasionally also those from Mentha arvensis.
Citrus oils are essential oils obtained from the peel of citrus fruits (bergamot, grapefruit, lime, mandarin, orange, lemon), often also called agrumen oils.
Citrus oils are composed largely of monoterpene hydrocarbons, principally limonene (exception: bergamot oil, which contains only about 40%).
Menthol can be used for example for surface anesthesia in cases of skin irritation as a result of light burns. The products produced in this way generate a pleasant feeling of cold and can be used for cooling minor burns that do not require specialist medical treatment.
Menthol has three asymmetric C atoms and accordingly exists in four diastereomeric pairs of enantiomers (cf. the formulae; the other four enantiomers are the corresponding mirror images).
Chi3 CFi3 CH3 CH3 (R? (~
(S) , (S) (~) cs) o" ; (s) ~~'oH (~ ~'oH 'oH
c~) H3C~CH3 H3C~CH3 H3C CH3 H3C CH3 (-}-Menthol (+)-Neomenthoi (+}-(somenthol (+)-Neoisomenthol (1} (2) (3) (4}
The diastereomers, which can be separated by distillation, are referred to as neoisomenthol, isomenthol, neomenthol [(+) form: a constituent of Japanese peppermint oil], and menthol. The most important isomer is (-)-menthol (levomenthol), shiny prisms with a strong peppermintlike odor.

As further active substances it is possible to add camphor, for example, to the matrix in order to treat rheumatic pain, neuralgias and inflammation. By camphor is meant 2-bornanone, 1,7,7-trimethylbicyclo[2.2.1]heptan-2-one; see diagram below.
B

o s H3C ~
,0 0 (+)-Camphor In combination also with care substances such as jojoba oil or aloe vera, though, the polymer matrix of the invention can be used. Depending on the definition of application, such combinations may turn a drug into a cosmetic and hence drastically reduce the time to market, owing to the reduction in approval times.
For advantageous embodiments of hydrogels/cataplasms of the invention it is also possible, additionally, to mention active hyperemic substances such as natural active substances of cayenne pepper or synthetic active substances such as nonivamide, nicotinic acid derivatives, preferably benzyl nicotinate or propyl nicotinate, and antiinflammatories and/or analgesics.
By way of example mention may be made of:
Capsaicin O
H3co ~ N ~ cH3 \ ~ H C H3 HO
[8-Methyl-trans-6-nonenoic acid (4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzyl amide)]
Nonivamide I I
H3C-(GHZ)~-C-NH-CHZ

OH
Nicotinic acid benzyl ester N
O ~ /
O
Benzyl nicotinate.
Flavone and its derivatives, often also collectively called "flavones", are also advantageous additives in the sense of the present invention. They are characterized by the following basic structure (substitution positions indicated):
3' 1 0 5' 8' a a s O
Some of the more important flavones, which can also be used with preference in preparations of the invention, are listed in the table below:

OH
substitution positions 3 5 8 2' 3' 4' S' Flavone Flavonol +

Chrysin + +

Galangin + +
+

Apigenin + + +

Fisetin + + + +

i_uteolin+ + + +

Kampferol+ + +
+

Quercetin+ + + + +

Morin + + + + +

Robinetin+ + + + +

Gossypetin+ + + + + +

Myricetin+ + ~ + ~ . + + +

5 In nature, flavones occur ordinarily in glycosylated form.
In accordance with the invention the flavonoids are preferably chosen from the group of substances of the generic structural formula where Z, to Z~ are chosen independently of one another from the group consisting of H, OH, alkoxy- and also hydroxyalkoxy-, where the alkoxy and hydroxyalkoxy groups respectively may be branched and unbranched and may have 1 to 18 C atoms, and where Gly is chosen from the group of the mono- and oligoglycoside residues.
In accordance with the invention the flavonoids can, however, also be chosen advantageously from the group of substances of the generic structural formula where Z~ to Z6 are chosen independently of one another from the group consisting of H, OH, alkoxy- and also hydroxyalkoxy-, where the alkoxy and hydroxyalkoxy groups respectively may be branched and unbranched and may have 1 to 18 C atoms, and where Gly is chosen from the group of the mono- and oligoglycoside residues.
Such structures can be chosen with preference from the group of substances of the generic structural formula Glyz--Gly~---O O
GIy3 O~ Za Zs O
where Gly~, GIy2, and GIy3 independently of one another represent monoglycoside residues or GIy2 and/or GIy3 may also, individually or together, represent saturations by hydrogen atoms.
Preferably Gly,, GIy2, and GIy3 are chosen independently of one another from the group of the hexosyl radicals, particularly of the rhamnosyl radicals and glucosyl radicals. Other hexosyl radicals as well, however, examples being allosyl, altrosyl, galactosyl, gulosyl, idosyl, mannosyl and talosyl, can be used with advantage where appropriate. It may also be of advantage in accordance with the invention to use pentosyl radicals.

Z, to Z5 advantageously are chosen independently of one another from the group consisting of H, OH, methoxy-, ethoxy- and also 2-hydroxyethoxy-, and the flavone glycosides have the structure:
Z~ Z3 O~
i O Gly~ GIy2 I
GIy3 The flavone glycosides of the invention which become of particular advantage are those from the group represented by the following structure:
Zz OH O Gly~-Glyz GIy3 where Gly,, GIy2, and GIy3 independently of one another represent monoglycoside residues or oligoglycoside residues. GIy2 and/or GIy3 may also, individually or together, represent saturations by hydrogen atoms.
Preferably Gly,, GIy2, and GIy3 independently of one another are chosen from the group of the hexosyl radicals, in particular the rhamnosyl radicals and glucosyl radicals. Other hexosyl radicals as well, however, examples being allosyl, altrosyl, galactosyl, gulosyl, idosyl, mannosyl, and tallosyl, can also be used with advantage where appropriate. It may also be an advantage in accordance with the invention to use pentosyl radicals.
In the sense of the present invention it is particularly advantageous to choose the flavone glycoside or glycosides from the group consisting of a-glucosylrutin, a-glucosylmyricetin, a-glucosylisoquercitrin, a-glucosylisoquercetin and a-glucosylquercitrin.
Of particular preference in accordance with the invention is a-glucosylrutin.
Also advantageous in accordance with the invention are naringin (aurantiin, naringenin 7-rhamnoglucoside), hesperidin (3',5,7-trihydroxy-4'-methoxyflavanone 7-rutinoside, hesperidoside, hesperetin 7-O-rutinoside), rutin (3,3',4',5,7-pentahydroxyflavone 3-rutinoside, quercetin 3-rutinoside, sophorin, birutan, rutabion, taurutin, phytomelin, melin), troxerutin (3,5-dihydroxy-3',4',7-tris(2-hydroxyethoxy)flavone 3-(6-(O-(6-deoxy-a-L-mannopyranosyl)-~3-D-glucopyranoside)), monoxerutin (3,3',4',5-tetrahydroxy-7-(2-hydroxyethoxy)flavone 3-(6-(O-(6-deoxy-a-L-mannopyranosyl)-~3-D-glucopyrano-side)), dihydrorobinetin (3,3',4',5',7-pentahydroxyflavonone), taxifolin (3,3',4',5,7-penta-hydroxyflavanone), eriodictyol-7-glucoside (3',4',5,7-tetrahydroxyflavanone 7-glucoside), flavanomarein (3',4',7,8-tetrahydroxyflavanone 7-glucoside) and isoquercetin (3,3',4',5,7-pentahydroxyflavanone-3-(a-D-glucopyranoside)).
Further preferred classes of active pharmaceutical substance for a gel matrix of the invention include the following - without making any claim to completeness in the context of the present invention:
antimycotics, such as nafitine, amorrolfine, tolnaftate, ciclopirox nonsteroidal antiinflammatories, such as glycol salicylate, flufenamic acid, ibuprofen, etofenamate, ketoprofen, piroxicam, indomethacin antipruritics, such as polidocanol, isoprenaline, crotamiton local anesthetics, such as lidocaine, benzocaine antipsoriatics, such as ammonium bitumasulfonate keratolytics, such as urea In a further embodiment the polymer matrix, which if appropriate comprises not only silver but also active substance, may be located between a cover layer which is firmly anchored to it and is also called backing layer, and a removable release layer. The purpose of the removable release layer is to secure the adhesive layer and to improve the transport stability and storage stability, and it is removed prior to application to the skin.

The polymer matrix may have been applied to a backing layer or backing sheet such as is known from the prior art. The backing sheet is composed of an air- and water vapor-permeable but water-impervious polymer layer having a thickness of approximately 10 to 100 ~.m. The possibly flexible backing sheet is composed preferably of polymers of polyurethane, PE, PP, polyamide, polyester or polyether-ester.
The wound dressing of the invention, generally in the form of a plaster, comprises an active substance polymer matrix of the invention, which is self-adhesive in the presence of moisture; a back layer, which where appropriate is impermeable to active substance;
and a detachable protective layer, which is removed prior to application to the skin.
Further ingredients, such as fillers, stabilizers, enhancers and/or cosmetic adjuvants, may be incorporated in the matrix in order to adapt the dressing to the different fields of use and in order to provide a dressing which is application-friendly.
Finally, the matrix may be lined with an adhesive-repellent backing material, such as siliconized paper, or may be provided with a wound contact material or cushioning. On its moisture-self-adhesive side which later faces the skin, the dressing of the invention is normally lined over its whole width, up until the time of use, with an adhesive-repellent backing material. This material protects the self-adhesive layer, which comprises the highly skin-compatible adhesive of the matrix and has been applied preferably by the transfer method, and, additionally, stabilizes the entire product. The lining may be designed in a known way as a single piece or, preferably, in two parts.
For application as plasters, the gel matrices of the invention are applied as a layer to a release medium made of paper, or the like, this application taking place by compression, rolling or the like, and on the reverse are laminated with any desired backing material such as, for example, a polymer sheet, textiles or the like. With particular preference in accordance with the invention the gel matrices are applied in the hot state to a backing material by means of a metering pump, and with very particular preference are implemented by corresponding cavities in the presses or roller mechanisms, in a three-dimensional form. The form of the plasters produced is determined by the form of the cavities and is not subject to any restriction; it may, for example, be ellipsoidal with edges which run out flat, or, for example, may be of angular implementation.
In summary it can be stated that suitable backing materials include all rigid and elastic sheetlike structures of synthetic and natural raw materials. Preference is given to backing materials which can be employed in such a way that they fulfill properties of a functional dressing. Recited by way of example are textiles such as wovens, knits, lays, nonwovens, laminates, nets, films, foams, and papers. Furthermore, these materials may be pretreated and/or aftertreated. Common pretreatments are corona and hydrophobicizing; customary aftertreatments are calendering, thermal conditioning, laminating, diecutting, and enveloping.
5 It is particularly advantageous if the backing material is sterilizable, preferably y-(gamma) sterilizable.
Very particular preference in accordance with the invention is given to backing materials having good oxygen, air, and water vapor permeability which have been provided 10 pointwise by screen printing or analogous methods with the adhesive polymer matrix and which outwardly overlap the applied gel matrix at the side edges. Matrices of the invention manufactured in this form can be attached self-adhesively to parts of the body which are subject to severe mechanical stress, such as elbows or knee joints, where the inherent adhesion of the hydrogels/cataplasms is no longer sufficient for long-term 15 application.
The stated properties of the adhesive matrix suggest in particular its utility for medical products, especially plasters and patches, medical fastenings, wound covers, orthopedic or phlebological bandages, and dressings.
In particular the use of the self-adhesive polymer matrix, composed of a polyacrylic acid polymer, agar agar, glycerol, and water, in plasters, strips, wound covers and/or bandages is an extremely simple, skin-compatible possibility for woundcare and/or skincare with disinfectant silver ions from silver glass. The plasters, wound covers or bandages thus equipped have an individually adjustable consistency and bond strength and are extremely inexpensive as compared with known medical materials. The polymer matrix can be employed alone or in combination with suitable, coated backing materials.
It is therefore possible to produce products which can be employed even on moving body parts, such as fingers or elbows, for example.
Also particularly suitable is the use of the polymer matrices with water-soluble or hydrophobic actives incorporated therein as active substance patch systems or TTS for the controlled delivery of active substance to the skin.
The use of the self-adhesive polymer matrix is to be regarded advantageously in particular as an active substance administration form for topical or buccal application or as a component of a TTS, especially of a monolithic TTS.

By way of example, through the use of menthol on a fleece material coated by screen printing it is possible to produce a plaster comprising the polymer matrix, which by virtue of the evaporation, the delivery of menthol and/or water, leads to a cooling effect in the case of minor burns and at the same time, by virtue of the silver ions given off, disinfects the damaged tissue. The use of the self-adhesive polymer matrix comprising silver glass and menthol as active substance for application in the case of skin burns is therefore preferred.
Similarly, the use of essential oils as active substances allows the polymer matrix to be employed in the case of colds and also for aromatherapy.
Finally the gel matrix comprising silver glass can be lined with an adhesive-repellent backing material, such as siliconized paper, or provided with a wound contact material or a cushion. On its self-adhesive side which later faces the skin, the plaster of the invention is lined over its whole width, until used, usually with an adhesive-repellent backing material. This protects the self-adhesive layer comprising the highly skin-compatible adhesive of the gel matrix, which has preferably been applied by a transfer method, and additionally stabilizes the product as a whole. The lining can be designed, in a known way, in one piece or, preferably, in two parts.
Further embodiments may be such that between the reverse of the matrix and the lining backing there is a second matrix possessing higher active-substance solubility, as a reservoir. Instead of a second matrix and backing, this might also be a thermoformed film with pure active substance.
Located on part (e.g., at the edge) of the adhesive side of the matrix is a second matrix possessing higher bond strength for the purpose of additional fixing, but possessing insufficient active-substance solubility.
The active substance-free matrix is located between two nonanchoring films and is utilized for fastening. The active substance-free matrix comprising silver glass could also serve (with or without wound contact material) as adhesive layer for a simple wound plaster/sticking plaster.
The use of the polymer matrix comprising silver glass as a medical plaster system, as a patch, pad, wound contact material or bandage, is suitable particularly in two-dimensional embodiment with a total surface area of 0.2 to 1000 cm2. As a result, for example, small (0.2-2 cm2) regions of the skin are covered, or extensive regions (up to 1000 cm2), for the purpose, for example, of cooling.

Preference is also given in this context to the use of the self-adhesive polymer matrix comprising silver glass, in two- or three-dimensional embodiments, with a polymer matrix weight fraction of 0.1 to 1000 g, in particular of 500 g. The shape may in this case be circular, oval or angular or may be adapted to the sections of the skin.
The polymer matrix, in particular a polyurethane matrix, may be used with no foaming and/or with partial or full-area foaming, with no filling or with additional fillers, such as, for example, superabsorbents, titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, plasticizers, dyes, etc.
Via the formation of foam it is possible to produce a relatively soft matrix system, which has a positive tactile sensation for the user and which allows a dressing to be produced which is more conforming. Moreover, foamed wound contact materials afford a cushioning effect, which in the case of pressure-sensitive application such as with burn injuries, for example, may be of advantage.
Also advantageous, however, is the fact that the entire polymer material is unfoamed and yet has outstanding application properties, since in accordance with the invention the foaming characteristics have no effect on the release of silver.
The polymer matrix may where appropriate comprise additives known per se from the prior art, such as, for example, fillers and short, organic- or inorganic-based fibers, metal pigments, surface-active substances or liquid extenders such as substances having a boiling point of above 150°C. As inorganic fillers mention may be made by way of example of heavy spar, chalk, gypsum, kieserite, sodium carbonate, titanium dioxide, cerium oxide, quartz sand, kaolin, carbon black, and hollow microbeads.
The addition, in particular, of titanium dioxide with a fraction of 0.01 % to 2% by weight, based on the preferred polyurethane matrix, enhances the esthetic aspect of the silver-containing dressing material in the sense that the user, for example, is unable to see any anesthetic blood through the dressing.
As organic fillers it is possible for example to employ powders based on polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, urea-formaldehyde, and polyhydrazodicarbonamide. Suitable short fibers include, for example, glass fibers 0.1-1 mm in length or fibers of organic origin, such as polyester fibers or polyamide fibers, for example. Metal powders, such as iron, aluminum or copper powder, for example, may likewise be used with regard to gel-forming. In order to endow the matrix with the desired coloration it is possible to use the organic- or inorganic-based color pigments or dyes which are known per se in connection with the coloring of, say, polyurethanes, such as, for example, iron oxide pigments or chromium oxide pigments, phthalocyanine- or monoazo-based pigments. Examples of surface-active substances that may be mentioned include cellulose powders, activated carbon, and silica products.
The addition of these colorants is not mandatory in accordance with the invention, since discoloration of the matrices comprising the silver-containing glasses is not observed.
Coloring with additional substances serves for individual design of the finished polymer material in order to make it attractive to children, for example, and also for adaptation to the parameters of the surroundings, such as the skin color, for example.
To modify the adhesive properties of the polymer matrix it is possible where appropriate to make additions of polymeric vinyl compounds, polyacrylates, and other copolymers customary in adhesive technology, and/or adhesives based on natural substances, in an amount of up to 10% by weight, based on the weight of the polymer composition, without watering down the advantageous properties of the polymer matrix, particularly the polyurethanes.
In accordance with the invention a silver-containing glass of the composition claimed is inserted into the polymer matrix, which advantageously is composed of polyurethane and is self-adhesive.
Customary glass additions, such as other metal oxides, which where appropriate alter the color, or soda and potash, in order to lower the melting point, for example, may additionally be present where appropriate.
The glass to be used is advantageously colorless.
Silver glasses of the composition indicated above which have been found particularly advantageous are those having a volume-based particle size of between 0.1 ~m and 10 Nm and a residual moisture content below 5%.
The specially manufactured antimicrobial glasses are available, for example, from Ishizuka Glass Co. Ltd., Japan.
Surprisingly it has been found that the silver-containing glasses of the invention can be incorporated into the polymer matrix and in particular into a polyurethane matrix by admixing the glasses to the polymer base materials, without disrupting the reaction, and despite full incorporation into the polymer are able to develop their antimicrobial or disinfectant action. Also surprising, and unforeseeable, is the fact that the glasses do not contribute to any deterioration in the properties of the polymer matrix.
Likewise extremely surprising is the fact that even an amount of just 0.005%-1 % by weight of the silver glass into the material of the invention, preferably into the polymer matrix, exhibits an antimicrobial activity. Furthermore, the activity is at a constant high level over a relatively long period of time, so that the material, in the form for example of a wound contact material, can be worn on the skin for a prolonged period without detractions in terms of activity. In this context, in particular, the skin-friendly polyurethane matrix has a synergistic action, so that the polymer matrix as well does not lead to any observations of disadvantages from a long period of wear.
The most prominent, unforeseeable advantage, however, is that the inventive combination of a polymer material suitable as wound contact material with the antimicrobial glass results in a durable stability of the wound contact material with respect to discoloration.
The polymer material of the invention at the same time exhibits discoloration stability with respect to radiation, heat or other effects.
Depending on the amount of silver glass, the silver-containing polymer material of the invention exhibits silver release at up to 50 mg Ag/kg polymer. A preferred silver ion release rate is from 5 to 30 mg/kg; the rate of release can be controlled via the amount of silver glass or alternatively by further suitable additions to the polymer matrix. The antimicrobial activity of the wound contact material of the invention has also been demonstrated with relatively low release rates in accordance with JIS
(Japanese Industrial Standard) 2801:2000 on ~ Escherichia coli IFO 3972 ~ Staphylococcus aureus IFO 12732.
The release of antimicrobial silver ions from the polymer materials of the invention is observed over a period of 2 to 240 h, in particular of 10 to 96 h, thereby ensuring long-term treatment of the wound with a wound contact material. This advantage avoids the need otherwise frequently to change the wound contact material.

The polymer matrix can advantageously be made transparent. As transparent, water vapor-permeable, and adhesive, a polyurethane matrix thus fulfills, in particular, aspects of esthetics and application-friendliness. This constitutes a significant advantageous difference from the polyacrylate- and silicone gel-based plaster systems.
Moreover the 5 transparency increases user acceptance, since the plaster can usually be worn on the skin for a relatively long time.
To store fluid it is possible with preference to incorporate a superabsorbent polymer in the form of a powder into the polymer matrix. This ensures that fluid released in the 10 region of the skin is bound, thereby countering maceration and the premature detachment of the dressing. In addition, as a result of the increased absorption of wound secretion and the associated increased absorption of pathogenic microbes, a considerable product advantage is provided in the case of open wounds.
15 Preferred water-absorbing materials are water-absorbing salts of polyacrylates and their copolymers that are known as superabsorbents, particularly the sodium or potassium salts. They may be noncrosslinked or crosslinked and are also available as commercial products. Suitability is possessed in particular by products of the kind disclosed in DE 37 13 601 A1 and also by new-generation superabsorbents with only small fractions 20 of water which can be extracted by drying, and with a high swelling capacity under pressure.
Preferred products are acrylic acid/sodium acrylate-based polymers with low degrees of crosslinking. Sodium polyacrylates of this kind are available as Favor 22-SK
(Stockhausen & Co. KG., Germany). Further absorbers, carboxymethylcellulose and 25 karaya for example, are likewise suitable.
It is therefore of advantage to incorporate superabsorbents or superabsorbent polymer into the polymer in an amount of 0.01 % to 40% by weight, in particular from 0.5% to 30%
by weight, especially 20% by weight, based on the total mass of the polymer matrix.
A further preferred embodiment envisages further admixing elemental aluminum, zinc and/or magnesium and/or their basic compounds, such as zinc hydroxide or magnesium chloride, in water-free form during the production of the polymer matrix and incorporation of the silver glass.

This enables, on the one hand, high amounts of added silver glass, or the additional adding of antimicrobial silver compounds, such as silver zeolites, for example, as is known from the prior art. The addition of aluminum, zinc or magnesium and/or their basic compounds additionally avoids the blackening of the customary silver compounds, which is to be avoided.
As a result of the ingress of moisture via the wound or the surroundings, the silver undergoes conversion to silver chloride or silver oxide, which, as mentioned, can lead to unattractive appearance and loss of activity of known silver-containing dressings. The addition of aluminum, zinc or magnesium makes it possible, in accordance with the electrochemical potentials of the reaction systems 2 AgCI + Zn, 2/3 AI, Mg ~ 2 Ag + ZnClz, MgCl2, 2/3 AIC13, for the antimicrobial silver to be re-formed.
In accordance with the invention the substances AI, Zn, Mg and/or their basic compounds can be used in an amount of 0.01 % to 5% by weight, based on the total mass of the material.
It has been found that, therefore, in addition to the discoloration-stable silver glasses, it is also possible to incorporate discoloration-unstable silver compounds into the polymer material without accepting detractions from the desired activity and, in particular, esthetics.
The thickness of the wound contact material may be between about 100 to 2000 wm, preferably 400 to 1500 pm, in particular between 600 to 1200 Vim.
If the wound contact material of the invention is self-adhesive then there is no need for additional means of fixing. The wound contact material is placed directly as dressing material on the wound to be covered, and attaches by virtue of its self-adhesive properties to the skin surrounding the wound.
In the case of very large wounds, when additional adhesive bonding is desired or when the polymer matrix is not self-adhesive, the wound contact material can be adhered to the skin by the addition of an edge layer bonding system.
In that case the dressing material of the invention is constructed in accordance with known wound dressings. They are composed, generally speaking, of a backing material provided on one side with a self-adhesive layer. The wound contact material of the invention is then applied atop this self-adhesive coating. In order to ensure ease of handling, the self-adhesive coating is additionally lined with a protective layer - a sealing paper, for example.
A suitable adhesive for the edge layer bonding system over the additional backing material is set out in the text DE 27 43 979 C3; in addition, the acrylate-based or rubber-based pressure-sensitive adhesives that are commercially customary can be used with preference for the adhesive coating.
Particular preference is given to thermoplastic hotmelt adhesives based on natural and synthetic rubbers and on other synthetic polymers such as acrylates, methacrylates, polyurethanes, polyolefins, polyvinyl derivatives, polyesters or silicones with appropriate adjuvants such as tackifier resins, plasticizers, stabilizers, and other auxiliaries where necessary. If desired, aftercrosslinking by UV or electron beam irradiation may be appropriate.
Incorporation of the silver glass The silver glass can be distributed homogeneously throughout the polymer matrix. This is achieved by dispersing it homogeneously either in one of the starting components of the polymerization, or in the finished polymer mixture.
This can be done either in solution or else - owing to the good heat stability of the silver glass - in the melt (extruder).
The silver glass can also be distributed with local limitation in the matrix, on the surface for example, by means of layer construction.
For this purpose it is possible, for example, to apply a polymer solution containing the silver glass to the surtace of the polymer matrix, by spraying, extrusion or casting, for example.
The polymer with silver glass added can be coated out with uniform flatness.
The resulting coat can be diecut to a wound contact material of any desired shape.
The polymer coated out with uniform flatness can also be modified in form by varying the thickness as desired. For example, the middle of the wound contact material can be left in the original coated-out thickness, while the edges are flattened off.
The polymer can also be coated out not flat from the outset, but instead can be cast in any desired shapes.

The dimensions are governed by the intended field of use (relatively small injuries, on the finger, for example; larger injuries - e.g., grazes) and are freely selectable.
An inventively furnished dressing material, with or without additional edge bonding system, is placed on the wound in customary fashion.
The wound contact material comes into contact with the wound exudate and absorbs said exudate, as a result of which the polymer matrix is observed to swell.
Particularly when using polyurethane matrices, especially with superabsorbent materials added, advantageous absorption of the wound exudate in the polymer matrix is observed. It is possible subsequently to identify two steps which are essential for wound healing. On the one hand, silver ions are then released from the finely divided glass in contact with the exudate, and, on the other hand, microbes from the wound can be taken up into the polymer matrix. A dressing of the invention containing silver glass, following application to an exuding wound, by virtue of the contact of fluid with the silver particles, will kill the microbes that are located in the wound fluid, and/or prevent colonization, and possibly infection, of the wound with microorganisms. Both steps, alone or synergistically in unison, lead to a reduction in microbe growth and/or to the dying-off of the microbes. The antimicrobial wound contact material of the invention therefore has both bacteriostatic and bactericidal properties, which allows purposive application of antimicrobial dressing materials.
When the silver-containing dressing is removed, the antibacterial action is stopped.
Subsequent washing of the wound to remove antibiotics and antiseptics applied temporarily beforehand is unnecessary.
The described invention is based, therefore, on the described antimicrobial action of silver-containing particles in combination with a highly absorbent wound contact material, which together achieve a synergetic effect. Furthermore, a wound contact material, such as the polyurethane wound contact material of the invention, for instance, may possess self-adhesive properties which allow it to be fixed to the intact skin with the edge of the patient's wound. It relates to an innovative wound contact material which can be used to treat infected wounds or for preventive protection against wound infections.
In this context, the dressing forms a barrier for microorganisms, preventing penetration from outside, by killing the microorganisms on contact with the antimicrobial wound contact material.
The unique combination of the hydroactive polyurethane polymer material with a silver-containing glass compound permits an advantageous acceptance of the product by the consumer, and a high level of product stability. In particular, the dark coloration which is unattractive, is not accepted by the end user, and is initiated as a result in particular of moisture, light or y rays, such as exhibited by known, silver-containing materials, is significantly improved or even avoided completely.
A factor essential to the invention is that the antimicrobial silver glass is readily incorporable into the polyurethane matrix and so in fact makes it possible to provide an antimicrobial wound contact material. Surprisingly, not only the silver glass fractions in the polymer but also their distribution in the polymer and the fractions of further additions can be selected within wide ranges without exhibiting detractions in terms of the advantages depicted.
Furthermore, active skincare or wound-healing substances can additionally be incorporated into the polymer matrix, these substances, when applied to the skin, supporting skin regeneration. Active substances which can be added include vitamins, such as vitamin E or vitamin C, essential oils, flavone and its derivatives, or antiinflammatories and/or analgesics.
The silver-containing polymer material of the invention can therefore be used in wound treatment as a self-adhesive wound contact material or a wound contact material with an additional edge bonding system. Moreover, in addition to use in wound healing, provision is made for use in skincare, application as skin protection, and use as a preventative against skin damage.
Inventive polymer materials and wound dressings are described below in preferred configuration with reference to a number of examples, without wishing thereby to restrict the invention in any way whatsoever. The fractional data relate to the total mass of polymer material, unless otherwise indicated.
Cosmetics The present invention also relates to cosmetics comprising silver glass, especially emulsion-based cosmetic, pharmaceutical or dermatological preparations. By virtue of the antimicrobial and/or disinfectant action of the silver glass, the preparations serve, inter alia, for the prophylaxis and treatment of inflammatory skin conditions and/or for skin protection.

The preparations comprising silver glass are generally emulsions or aqueous hydrogels which in addition to customary moisturizing substances may also include specific active substances, such as, for example, ~ inflammation-alleviating and cooling substances, 5 ~ local anesthetics and/or ~ other active cosmetic, pharmaceutical and/or dermatological substances for topical application.
Use is made, for example, of plant-derived, inflammation-alleviating or -inhibiting active 10 substances such as azulene and bisabolol (camomile), glycyrrhizin (licorice root), hamamelin (witch hazel) or total extracts, from aloe vera or camomile for example. These exhibit good success in the case of milder forms and locally limited erythema reactions.
The same is true of creams containing a high level of essential oils or panthenol.
15 Aftersun products are intended, for example, to cool the skin after sunbathing and to enhance its moisturization, the imparting of the cooling effect playing a central part. This cooling effect is achieved, for example, by means of large amounts of ethanol, which evaporates spontaneously when the formulation is spread over the skin.
Hydrogels, O/W
emulsions (lotions) or aqueous suspensions also have a pronounced cooling effect by 20 virtue of the cold due to evaporation of the aqueous phase. For the prophylaxis of inflammatory processes, preparations of this kind can be admixed with silver glass for the disinfection of the damaged tissue.
The formulations of the invention are products which are entirely satisfactory in every 25 respect and are distinguished by an outstanding action. When the cosmetic, dermatological or pharmaceutical preparations, containing an effective amount of silver glass, used in accordance with the invention, are applied, effective treatment and also prophylaxis of inflammatory skin conditions - including atopic eczema - and/or for skin protection in the case of dry skin which has been determined as being sensitive, is 30 possible.
The invention, it will be appreciated, is not restricted to topical application forms which are applied after sunbathing, but instead, of course, embraces all cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and dermatological applications in which an inflammation-alleviating 35 effect could be desirable or advantageous.

It is advantageous in accordance with the invention if the cosmetic, pharmaceutical or dermatological preparations contain 0.001 % to 10% by weight, in particular 0.05% to 5%
by weight, very particularly 0.1 % to 2% by weight of silver glass, based in each case on the total weight of the preparation.
It is preferred in the context of the present invention if the cosmetic or dermatological preparations of the invention comprise one or more alcohols, particularly if the formulations are present in the form of an aftersun product and are intended to be distinguished by a particular cooling effect.
It is further preferred in the context of the present invention if the cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and dermatological preparations of the invention contain glycerol in an amount of 0.1 %-30% by weight, more preferably of 2%-10% by weight, in order to ensure effective moisturization of the skin.
In addition to one or more oil phases, the cosmetic, pharmaceutical or dermatological formulations for the purposes of the present invention may additionally comprise one or more water phases and may be in the form, for example, of W/O, O/W, W/O/W or O/W/O emulsions. Emulsions of this kind may with preference also be a microemulsion, a Pickering emulsion or a sprayable emulsion. In this case, plasterlike application forms could be impregnated with these emulsions. Emulsions of this kind are described in more detail in patent application DE 101 21 092, hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference The formulations or application forms of the invention preferably further comprise additional antiinflammatory substances, such as allantoin, a-bisabolol, panthotenic acid, panthenol, royal jelly, chamomile extracts, azulene or aloe vera extract, and also unsaponifiable fractions of avocado oil or soybean oil, and other substances which calm the irritated skin. Further advantageous active substances are tannins, which have an astringent, antiinflammatory and/or secretion-inhibiting effect.
In one preferred embodiment of the formulations of the invention containing silver glass, they find use in particular as aftersun skincare products.
One particularly preferred field of application of the preparations of the invention is situated within care and decorative cosmetology. That is, it is possible also to provide solid, semisolid or stick-form cosmetic preparations for decorative purposes, viz makeup formulations, or care preparations, such as lipcare sticks, for example, which likewise exhibit outstanding dispersibility and, furthermore, have an antimicrobial and/or disinfectant and care effect.
In the case of the decorative preparations in stick form a distinction is made between primarily two kinds of formulation. Sticks contain principally an oil substance or more recent formulations are anhydrous and for that purpose require particular thickener systems, based for example on mixtures of stearyl alcohol and hydrogenated castor oil, and based on natural or synthetic waxes.
Anhydrous solid or semisolid formulations are characterized in that one or more solid, particulate agents are in suspension in a vehicle. The vehicle is composed at least of one or more highly volatile oils, one or more nonvolatile emollients, and one or more thickeners.
In particular, however, the properties of the preparations containing silver glass expound a use in cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and dermatological products which combine alleviation in the case of irritated skin conditions and/or supporting of the re-establishment of dermal homeostasis with a simultaneous skincare function.
In particular it is advantageous for makeup products, for the purposes of the present invention, to incorporate dyes and/or color pigments, additionally, into the preparations according to the invention.
In the case of application forms according to the invention which comprise silver glass, cosmetic or pharmaceutical auxiliaries may be present, such as are commonly used in preparations of this kind, examples being preservatives, dyes, pigments which have a coloring action, solubilizers, penetration enhancers, hydrophilic fillers, thickeners, resins, moistening and/or moisturizing substances, fats, oils, waxes or other customary constituents of a cosmetic or pharmaceutical formulation, such as alcohols, polyols, polymers, foam stabilizers, electrolytes, organic solvents and/or silicone derivatives, and also moisturizers.
As thickeners it is possible with advantage, for example, to select inorganic gel formers from the group of the modified or unmodified, naturally occurring or synthetic phyllosilicates.

Although it is entirely favorable to use single components, it is also possible, in advantageous fashion, to incorporate mixtures of different modified and/or unmodified phyllosilicates into the silver glass preparations of the invention.
For application, the cosmetic and dermatological formulations of the invention are applied to the skin and/or hair in a sufficient amount in a customary fashion, i.e., for example, directly - following removal from a bottle, tube, pot or any other container -or using an (impregnated) wipe.
A particular advantage of the preparations of the invention is that the silver glasses, by virtue not least of their advantageous fine division, do not lead to any detractions whatsoever in application, in comparison to customary cosmetics. The advantage according to the invention lies in the storage stability and hence activity over a relatively long period of time, and, in particular, in the stability toward discoloration by external influences such as heat or sunlight. In relation to other silver-containing cosmetics, therefore, the preparations of the invention do not exhibit any blackening or darkening.
Wipes, pads, skin contact material Impregnated wipes find broad use, as articles of everyday utility, in a wide variety of segments. Among other things, they permit efficient skin-friendly cleaning and care, not least in the absence of (running) water.
The actual article of use is composed of two components:
a) a dry cloth constructed from materials such as paper and/or any of a very wide variety of mixtures of natural or synthetic fibers, and b) a low-viscosity impregnating solution.
The present invention accordingly further provides cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and dermatological wipes moistened with cosmetic, pharmaceutical or dermatological impregnating solutions and comprising silver glass.
"Dry" cloths preferred in accordance with the invention are composed of nonwoven, especially water-jet-consolidated and/or water-jet-embossed nonwoven.

Nonwovens of this kind may have macroimpressions in any desired pattern. The selection to be made is governed firstly by the impregnation to be applied and secondly by the field of use in which the subsequent wipe is to be used.
It has been found advantageous for the cloth to have a weight of 35 to 120 g/m2, preferably from 40 to 60 g/m2 (measured at 20°C ~ 2°C and at an atmospheric humidity of 65% ~ 5% for 24 hours).
The thickness of the nonwoven is preferably 0.4 mm to 2 mm, especially 0.6 mm to 0.9 mm.
Starting materials which can be used for the nonwoven of the cloth may, generally, be any organic and inorganic, natural and synthetic fiber materials. By way of example mention may be made of viscose, cotton, cellulose, jute, hemp, sisal, silk, wool, polypropylene, polyester, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), aramid, nylon, polyvinyl derivatives, polyurethanes, polylactide, polyhydroxyalkanoate, cellulose esters and/or polyethylene, and also mineral fibers such as glass fibers or carbon fibers.
The present invention, though, is not restricted to the materials stated; rather, it is possible to employ a multiplicity of further fibers to form the nonwoven. It is particularly advantageous for the purposes of the present invention if the fibers employed are not water-soluble.
In one particularly advantageous embodiment of the nonwoven the fibers are composed of a blend of 70% viscose and 30% PET.
Also of particular advantage are fibers made of high-strength polymers such as polyamide, polyester and/or highly drawn polyethylene.
Furthermore, the fibers may also be colored, in order to allow the visual attractiveness of the nonwoven to be emphasized and/or increased. The fibers may further comprise UV
stabilizers and/or preservatives.
The fibers used to form the cloth preferably have a water absorption rate of more than 60 mm/[10 min] (measured with the EDANA test 10.1-72), in particular more than 80 mm/[10 min].

The fibers used to form the cloth further have, preferably, a water absorbency of more than 5 g/g (measured by the EDANA test 10.1-72), in particular more than 8 g/g.
It is advantageous for the purposes of the present invention if the weight ratio of the 5 unimpregnated cloth to the impregnating solution is selected from the range from 2:1 to 1:6.
The inventive cosmetic, pharmaceutical and dermatological formulations and preparations referred to in the course of the description of the present invention 10 constitute advantageous impregnating solutions for cosmetic and dermatological wipes in the sense of the present invention.
It is advantageous if the impregnating solutions of the invention are of low viscosity, being, in particular, sprayable, and having, for example, a viscosity of less than 15 2000 mPa~s, in particular less than 1500 mPa~s (measuring instrument: Haake Viskotester VT-02 at 25°C). The impregnating solutions may also correspond to the cosmetic preparations of the invention which comprise the silver glass.
Cleansing preparations 20 Examples of cleansing preparations of the invention are bath foams and shower products, solid and liquid soaps or what are called "syndets" (synthetic detergents), shampoos, handwash pastes, intimate washes, special cleansing products for infants, shower gels, cleansers, makeup removers or shaving products. The preparations may be solid (soaps), of low viscosity or gellike, may foam slightly or strongly, and/or may be 25 used as antibacterial rinse-off formulations. The cleansing products are very mild to the skin and are advantageously of esthetic transparency. As microemulsions they can also be used as an impregnating medium for cloths, fabrics, which are employed wet or dry by the user, as described above.
30 Cosmetic or dermatological preparations and cleansing products are frequently in the form of finely disperse multiphase systems in which one or more fatty or oily phases are present in addition to one or more water phases. Of these systems, in turn, the actual emulsions are the most widespread.
35 In simple emulsions, finely disperse droplets of one phase (water droplets in W/O
emulsions or lipid vesicles in O/W emulsions), surrounded by a shell of emulsifier, are present in a second phase. The droplet diameters of the usual emulsions are situated in the range from about 1 Nm to about 50 pm. Such "macroemulsions", absent further coloring additions, are milky white in color and opaque. Finer "macroemulsions", whose droplet diameters are situated in the range from about 10-' Nm to about 1 pm, again absent coloring additions, are bluish white in color and nontransparent.
Only micellar and molecular solutions with particle diameters smaller than about 10-2 Nm appear clear and transparent.
The droplet diameter of transparent or translucent microemulsions, in contrast, is situated in the range from about 10-2 Nm to about 10-' pm. Microemulsions of this kind are generally of low viscosity. The viscosity of many microemulsions of the O/W
type is comparable with that of water.
An advantage of microemulsions is that active substances can be present in a more finely disperse form in the disperse phase than in the disperse phase of "macroemulsions". A further advantage is that they are sprayable, as a result of their low viscosity.
The cosmetic and dermatological preparations of the invention, and especially cleansing preparations, may comprise cosmetic auxiliaries such as are commonly used in such preparations, examples being preservatives, bactericides, perfumes, dyes, pigments having a coloring action, thickeners, moistening and/or moisturizing substances, fats, oils, waxes or other customary constituents of a cosmetic or dermatological formulation, such as alcohols, polyols, polymers, foam stabilizers, electrolytes, organic solvents or silicone derivatives.
The cosmetic and/or dermatological cleansing preparations of the invention are produced in a customary manner which is known to the skilled worker, generally such that the substances used in accordance with the invention, or a preliminary solution of these substances, is or are dissolved and/or dispersed, accompanied by uniform stirring and, where appropriate, by heating. The silver glass of the invention can be simply added, advantageously in amounts of 0.005% to 10% by weight, based on the total mass of the preparation.

Subsequent contact with water releases the silver ions, which develop their disinfectant and/or antimicrobial effect.
The examples which follow elucidate the materials of the invention.
All amounts, fractions, and percentages, unless otherwise indicated, are based on the weight and the total amount, or on the total weight, of the preparations comprising silver glass.
Example 1 A polymer material comprising silver glass was produced, having the following composition:
Polyether polyol (Levagel) 16.50 g :

Crosslinker (Desmodur) : 1.70 g Vitamin E : 0.10 g Favor T (superabsorbent) : 2.05 g lonpure : 0.10 g Coscat catalyst : 0.04 g 20.50 g, the silver-containing glass from Ishizuka exhibiting the following lonopure composition, based on the total mass of glass:

by weight P205 73.35 Mg0 18.33 AI203 6.32 Ag20 2.00 Example 2 The polymer material produced in Example 1 was used to investigate the release of Ag+
ions into 0.9% strength NaCI solution.
A flatly coated specimen A (1 g of sample per 100 ml of 0.9% strength NaCI
solution) of the above composition, with a weight per unit area of approximately 800 g/mz, released silver ions in the following amounts, shown in Table 1.

Comparable specimens from the prior art with silver zeolites (B) or silver zirconium phosphates (C), for which antimicrobial activity was detected in investigations, also from the prior art, released the following amounts of silver ions:
Table 1 Release of silver from polymer material of Example 1 (A) in comparison to standard dressing materials (B, C) Time (h) / silver release (mg/kg) Dressin material A B C
24 23.8 14.4 28.5 72 25.4 25.0 23.4 168 I 28.3 I 26.5 I 29.6 The example shows that release of silver ions from the polymer material of the invention is observed in the same order of magnitude as from antimicrobial dressing materials known from the prior art, with silver zeolites (B) or silver zirconium phosphates (C), respectively.
Example 3 Production of wound contact materials of the invention, containing different levels of silver glass.
Specimen D:
A wound contact material was produced with the following composition (0.01 %
by weight silver glass):
Polyether polyol (Levagel): 14.505 g Crosslinker (Desmodur) : 1.391 g Vitamin E : 0.057 g Favor T (superabsorbent): 4.524 g lonpure : 0.002 g Coscat : 0.041 g 20.520 g Specimen E
A wound contact material was produced with the following composition (0.05% by weight silver glass):
Polyether polyol (Levagel): 14.41 g Crosslinker (Desmodur) : 1.38 g Vitamin E : 0.06 g Favor T (superabsorbent): 4.50 g lonpure : 0.01 g Coscat : 0.04 g 20.39 g Specimen F
A wound contact material was produced with the following composition (0.075%
by weight silver glass):
Polyether polyol (Levagel): 14.41 g Crosslinker (Desmodur) : 1.38 g Vitamin E : 0.06 g Favor T (superabsorbent): 4.51 g lonpure : 0.016 g Coscat : 0.04 g 20.41 g Specimen G
A wound contact material was produced with the following composition (0.1% by weight silver glass):
Polyether polyol (Levagel): 79.03 g Crosslinker (Desmodur) : 7.65 g Vitamin E : 0.30 g Favor T (superabsorbent): 22.76 g lonpure : 0.11 g Coscat : 0.36 g 110.22 g Specimen H
A wound contact material was produced with the following composition (0.25% by weight silver glass):

Polyether polyol (Levagel): 78.68 g Crosslinker (Desmodur) : 7.57 g Vitamin E : 0.30 g Favor T (superabsorbent): 22.66 g lonpure : 0.28 g Coscat : 0.36 g 109.86 g Specimen I
A wound contact material was produced with the following composition (0.52% by weight silver glass):
Polyether polyol (Levagel): 78.95 g Crosslinker (Desmodur) : 7.58 g Vitamin E : 0.31 g Favor T (superabsorbent): 22.74 g lonpure : 0.57 g Coscat : 0.36 g 110.51 g Specimen J
A wound contact material was produced with the following composition (1.02% by weight silver glass):
Polyether polyol (Levagel): 79.16 g Crosslinker (Desmodur) : 7.55 g Vitamin E : 0.30 g Favor T (superabsorbent): 22.91 g lonpure : 1.14 g Coscat : 0.36 g 111.42 g Example 4 The specimens D-J (about 800 g/m2) of Example 3 produced were investigated for their release of silver ions after 24 h in accordance with the following specified procedure.
A sample measuring 30 cm2 was placed at 32°C in 100 ml of isotonic sodium chloride solution. After 24 h the samples were removed and the solution was filtered through a 0.45 Nm membrane filter and its silver concentration determined via graphite tube AAS.
The table below, and Figure 1, summarize the results of silver release.
Sample designation % by weight silver Concentration of Ag glass m A /k of mer material D 0.01 1.5 E 0.05 5.2 F 0.075 9.4 G 0.1 13.0 H 0.25 20.0 I 0.52 22.0 J 1.02 20.0 Example 5 Samples D to J produced were investigated for their antimicrobial activity in accordance with JIS 2801:2000 on ~ Escherichia coli IFO 3972 ~ Staphylococcus aureus IFO 12732.
The activity of the samples is calculated in accordance with the following equation (1 ):
Number of living bacteria at beginning (1 ~
4ntimicrobial activity = log ~o Number of living bacteria after 24 h Antimicrobial activity can be assumed, accordingly, when the activity is >2, i.e., the number of bacteria investigated is reduced by a factor of 100.
It was found, as per Table 2, that all specimens investigated possess a sufficient antimicrobial activity.

Table 2: Antimicrobial activity S ecimen A re~ease after Antimicrobial 24 h activit as er 1 m /m Escherichia Sta h lococcus coli aureus D

G 13 >3.6 >3.3 I 22 >3.6 >3.3 I sterile 20 >3.6 >3.3 Example 6 To compare the discoloration stability of the wound contact materials of the invention, specimens D to J were investigated for their change in color by addition of the silver glass. Figure 2 shows the wound contact materials of Example 3 as a b/w copy.
No change is apparent from the undoped reference up to specimen H. Only at a concentration above 0.25% by weight silver glass (specimen H) is it possible to determine a slight color change, which is difficult to discern with the naked eye.
Example 7 In order to test the stability of the silver glass on sterilization, specimen J was y-sterilized with 26 kGy. As evident from Figure 3, no color change is caused by the y-sterilization.
y-Sterilization of the ready-produced plaster did not result in any detractions whatsoever in terms of antimicrobial activity in accordance with JIS Z 2801:2000 and, extraordinarily, did not lead to any discoloration of the dressing material.
Example 8 In order to test the aging stability of the wound dressings of the invention, specimens G
were subjected to accelerated aging at 50°C for six months and inspected for color stability. In this case too, no color changes whatsoever were found, which is also clearly apparent even from the b/w copies of Figure 4.
Example 9 Details of the polymer matrix I propose the following properties (in addition to the thickness) for characterization:
Fluid absorption: 0.5-10 g/g preferably 1.0-6 g/g more preferably 1.5-3.5 g/g Method:
A circular sample with a diameter of 22 mm is punched out and conditioned for one hour at 23 t 2°C and 50 t 5% rh. The samples are weighed and immersed for 3 hours completely in physiological saline solution at 23 t 0.5°C. The samples are weighed again and the fluid absorption is calculated from the weighed difference.
Water vapor permeability: 100-5000 g/(m2*24h) preferably 250-2500 g/(m2*24h) more preferably 300-1500 g/(m2*24h) Method:
Testing takes place in accordance with ASTM E 96 (water method), with the following differences:
The aperture of the test vessel is 804 mm2 The material is conditioned for 24 hours at 23 t 2°C and 50 t 5%
rh The distance between the level of water in the test vessel and the sample is 35 t 5 mm The reweighing of the test vessels equipped with samples is made after 24 h, during which time the test vessels are stored in a conditioning cabinet at 37 ~
1.5°C and 30 t 3% rh.
Example 10 - Polvisobutvlene matrices Vistanex LM MH: 48.33% by weight Vistanex MM L80: 28.00% by weight Eastoflex PLS E1003D 10.00% by weight Cetiol V 13.17% by weight Silver glass 0.50% by weight Example 11 - Polvacrvlic acid matrices Polyacrylic acid 22.5% by weight Polyvinylpyrrolidone, PVP 25 3.5% by weight Propanediol 37.49% by weight Polyethylene glycol 20.0% by weight Silica 11.5% by weight Dexpanthenol 5.0% by weight Silver glass 0.01 % by weight Example 12 - Silicone matrices Carbopol 32.0% by weight Q7-9600A 23.4% by weight Q7-9600B 13.9% by weight Silicone-PSA 29.7% by weight Silver glass 1.0% by weight Example 13 - Rubber matrices Silver glass 1.000%

Colan 46 2.099%

Keromet MD 100 0.262%

Filler lR 13.120%

Crepe 11.546%

Ameripol 1011 21.591 Natsyn 2200 8.397%

Resin 115 11.021 Resin 95 9.971 Resin SE 10 8.922%

Yellow oil 7.347%

Lanolin DAB* 4.724%

* German Pharmacopeia Example 14 - SBC hotmelt matrices Kraton D-1113, Kraton: 43.87°I° by weight Escorez 5380, Exxon: 24.54% by weight Sylvares TR 7115, Arizona 21.90% by weight Whitemor WOM 14, Castrol 3.84% by weight Cetiol V, Henkel 4.35% by weight Irganox 1010, Ciba-Geigy 0.78°!° by weight Silver glass 0.72% by weight Examale 15 - PVA/PAA-based polymer film Mowiol 18/88 73.40% by weight Carbopol 980 16.00% by weight Dexpanthenol 5.00% by weight Lutrol E 400 5.00% by weight Q 10 0.50% by weight Silver glass 0.10% by weight 5 Exam le 16-20: PIT s ra s GI ce I monostearate SE 0.50 3.00 2.00 4.00 Ceteareth-12 5.00 1.00 1.50 Ceteareth-20 2.00 Ceteareth-30 5.00 1.00 Stea I Alcohol 3.00 0.50 Cet I Alcohol 2.50 1.00 1.50 Eth /hex I Methox cinnamate 5.00 8.00 Aniso Triazine 1.50 2.00 2.50 But I Methox dibenzo /methane 2.00 Dioct I Butamidotriazone 1.00 2.00 2.00 Eth /hex I Triazone 4.00 3.00 4.00 4-Meth Ibenz lidene Cam 4.00 2.00 hor Octoc lene 4.00 2.50 Bisimidaz late 0.50 1.50 Phen Ibenzimidazole Sulfonic0.50 3.00 Acid C~2_,5 Alk I Benzoate 2,50 5.00 Titanium dioxide 0.50 1.00 3.00 2.00 Zinc oxide 2.00 3.00 0.50 1.00 Dica I I Ether 3.50 But lene G4 col Dica late/Dica5.00 6.00 rate Dica I I Carbonate 6.00 2.00 Dimethicone 0.50 1.00 Phen Itrimethicone 2.00 0.50 0.50 Shea Butter 2.00 0.50 PVP Hexadecene Co of mer 0.50 0.50 1.00 GI cerol 3.00 7.50 5.00 7.50 2.50 Vitamin E Acetate 0.50 0.25 1.00 Silver lass 0.30 0.10 0.60 0.20 0.30 AI ha Glucos Irutin 0.10 0.20 DMDM H dantoin 0.60 0.40 0.20 Koncyl-L~ 0.20 0.15 Meth I araben 0.50 0.25 0.15 Phenox ethanol 0.50 0.40 1.00 0.60 Ethanol 3.00 2.00 1.50 1.00 Perfume .s. .s. .s. .s. .s.

Water ad 100 ad ad 100 ad 100 ad 100 Example 21-25: O/W creams GI ce I Stearate Citrate 2.00 2.00 GI ce I Stearate SE 3.00 Cetearyl Alcohol + PEG-40 3.00 Castor Oil + Sodium Cetea I Sulfate Polyglyceryl-3-Methylglucose 3.00 Distearate Sorbitan Stearate 2.00 Stearic acid 1.00 Step I Alcohol 5.00 Cet I Alcohol 2.00 3.00 Cet Istea I alcohol 2.00 Ca lic/Ca ric Tri I ceride 5.00 3.00 4.00 3.00 3.00 Oct Idodecanol 2.00 2.00 Dica I I ether 4.00 2.00 1.00 Mineral oil 2.00 3.00 C clomethicone 3.00 Ti02 1.00 4-Meth Ibenz lidene Cam hor 1.00 But I Methox dibenzo /methane 0.50 Silver lass 0.30 0.30 0.50 0.10 1.00 Toco herol 0.20 0.20 H drox ro I Meth /cellulose 0.30 Trisodium EDTA 0.10 0.1 Preservative .s. .s. .s. .s.

Xanthan Gum Carbomer 0.30 0.1 0.1 0.1 Sodium h droxide solution .s. .s. .s. .s. .s.
45%

GI cerol 6.00 3.00 4.00 3.00 3.00 Eth /hex I I cerol 0.25 But lene GI col 3.00 Alcohol Denat. 7.0 Perfume .s. .s. .s. .s. .s.

A ua ad ad 100 ad 100 ad 100 ad 100 ~.,.,._,..i,. ~a gin. nnni rrc~mc wn~~

GI ce I Stearate Citrate 2.00 2.00 GI ce I Stearate SE 5.00 Stearic acid 2.50 3.50 Stea I Alcohol 2.00 Cet I Alcohol 3.00 4.50 Cet Istea I alcohol 3.00 1.00 0.50 C~2_~5 Alk I Benzoate 2.00 3.00 Ca lic/Ca ric Tri I ceride 2.00 Oct Idodecanol 2.00 2.00 4.00 6.00 Dica I I ether Mineral oil 4.00 2.00 C clomethicone 0.50 2.00 Dimethicone 2.00 Ti02 2.00 4-Meth Ibenz lidene Cam hor 1.00 1.00 But I Methox dibenzo /methane0.50 0.50 Silver lass 0.10 0.30 0.20 0.10 0.20 Toco herol 0.05 Trisodium EDTA 0.20 0.20 Preservative .s. .s. .s. .s. .s.

Xanthan Gum 0.20 Carbomer 0.15 0.1 0.05 0.05 Sodium h droxide solution .s. .s. .s. .s. .s.
45%

GI cerol 3.00 3.00 5.00 3.00 But lene GI col 3.00 Alcohol Denat. 3.00 3.00 Perfume .s. .s. .s. .s. .s.

A ua ad 100 ad 100 ad 100 ad 100 ad Example 31-37: W/O emulsions Cetyldimethicone 2.50 4.00 Co of of Polyglyceryl-2-dipoly-5.00 4.50 4.00 5.00 h drox stearate PEG-30-dipolyhydroxy- 5.00 stearate Lanolin Alcohol 0.50 1.50 Isohexadecane 1.00 2.00 M rist I M ristate 0.50 1.50 Cera Microcristallina 1.00 2.00 +
Paraffinum Li uidum Ethylhexyl Methoxy- 8.00 5.00 4.00 cinnamate Aniso Triazine 2.00 2.50 2.00 2.50 Butyl Methoxydibenzoyl- 2.00 1.00 0.50 1.50 methane Dioct I Butamidotriazone3.00 1.00 3.00 Eth Ihex I Triazone 3.00 4.00 4-Methylbenzylidene 2.00 4.00 2.00 1.00 3.00 Cam hor Octoc lene 7.00 2.50 4.00 2.50 Dioct Ibutamidotriazone1.00 2.00 Bisimidaz late 1.00 2.00 0.50 Phenylbenzimidazole0.50 3.00 2.00 Sulfonic Acid Titanium dioxide 2.00 1.50 3.00 Zinc oxide 3.00 1.00 2.00 0.50 Mineral oil 10.0 8.00 C~2_~5 Alk I Benzoate 9.00 Dica I I Ether 10.00 7.00 Butylene Glycol 2.00 8.00 4.00 4.00 5.00 Dica late/Dica rate Dica I I Carbonate 5.00 6.00 Dimethicone 4.00 1.00 5.00 C clomethicone 2.00 25.00 2.00 Shea Butter 3.00 0.50 PVP Hexadecene 0.50 0.50 1.00 Co of mer But lene GI col 6.00 Octox I cerol 0.30 1.00 0.50 3.00 GI cerol 3.00 7.50 7.50 2.50 5.00 GI cine So a 1.00 1.50 M S04 1.00 0.50 0.50 M CIZ 1.00 0.70 Vitamin E Acetate 0.50 0.25 1.00 0.50 1.00 Silver lass 0.10 0.30 0.20 0.40 0.30 1.00 0.60 Trisodium EDTA 0.20 0.20 DMDM H dantoin 0.60 0.40 0.20 Meth I araben .s. .s. .s. .s. .s. .s. .s.

Phenox ethanol .s. .s. .s. .s. .s. .s. .s.

Ethanol 3.00 1.50 1.00 3.00 Perfume .s. .s. .s. .s. .s. .s. .s.

Water ad ad ad ad ad ad ad ~..~."nlc '~R_dW HvrlrnriicnarcinnS

Ceteareth-20 1.00 0.5 Cet I Alcohol 1.00 Sodium Carbomer 0.20 0.30 Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate0.50 0.40 0.10 0.10 Cross of mer Xanthan Gum 0.30 0.15 0.50 Eth Ihex I Methox cinnamate 5.00 8.00 Aniso Triazine 1.50 2.00 2.50 But I Methox dibenzo (methane1.00 2.00 Dioct I Butamidotriazone 2.00 2.00 1.00 Eth (hex I Triazone 4.00 3.00 4.00 4-Meth Ibenz lidene Cam hor 4.00 4.00 2.00 Octoc lene 4.00 4.00 2.50 Dioct Ibutamidotriazone 1.00 2.00 Bisimidaz late 1.00 0.50 2.00 Phen Ibenzimidazole Sulfonic0.50 3.00 acid Titanium dioxide 0.50 2.00 3.00 1.00 Zinc oxide 0.50 1.00 3.00 2.00 C,Z_,5 Alk I Benzoate 2.00 2.50 Dica I I Ether 4.00 But lene GI col Dica late/Dica4.00 2.00 6.00 rate Dica I I Carbonate 2.00 6.00 Dimethicone 0.50 1.00 Phen Itrimethicone 2.00 0.50 2.00 Shea Butter 2.00 PVP Hexadecene Co of mer 0.50 0.50 1.00 Octox I cerol 1.00 0.50 GI cerol 3.00 7.50 7.50 2.50 GI cine so a 1.50 Vitamin E Acetate 0.50 0.25 1.00 Silver lass 0.30 0.10 0.50 0.30 0.20 DMDM H dantoin 0.60 0.40 0.20 Koncyl-L~ .s. .s. .s. .s. .s.

Meth I araben .s. .s. .s. .s. .s.

Phenox ethanol .s. .s. .s. .s. .s.

Ethanol 3.00 2.00 1.50 1.00 Perfume .s. .s. .s. .s. .s.

Water ad 100 ad 100 ad 100 ad 100 ad Example 43 Gel cream Mass content (%) Acrylate/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate 0.40 Crosspolymer Carbomer 0.20 Xanthan Gum 0.10 Cetearyl Alcohol 3.00 C,Z_,5 Alkyl Benzoate 4.00 Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride 3.00 Cyclomethicone 5.00 Dimethicone 1.00 Silver glass 0.30 Glycerol 3.00 Sodium hydroxide q.s.

Preservative q.s.

Perfume q.s.

Water, demineralized ad 100.0 pH adjusted to 6.0 Examale 44 W/O cream Lameform TGI 3.50 Glycerol 3.00 Dehymuls PGPH 3.50 Silver glass 0.10 Preservative q.s.

Perfume q,s.

Water, demin. ad 100.0 Magnesium sulfate 0.6 Isopropyl Stearate 2.0 Caprylyl Ether g,p Cetearyl Isononanoate 6.0 Example 45 W/O/W cream Mass content (%) Glyceryl Stearate 3.00 PEG-100 Stearate 0.75 Behenyl alcohol 2.00 Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride8.00 Octyldodecanol 5.00 C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate 3.00 Silver glass 1.00 Magnesium Sulfate (MgS04) 0.80 EDTA 0.10 Preservative q.s.

Perfume q.s.

Water, demineralized ad 100.0 pH adjusted to 6.0

Claims (31)

1. A material suitable for placement or application to the skin, comprising antimicrobial, silver-containing glass of composition P2O5 30-75 mol%, SiO2 5-50 mol%, R1O 20-55 mol%, R2 2O 0- 5 mol%, AI2O3 3-20 mol%, based on the total amount of the silver oxide-free glass, and 0.1 % to 5% by weight of Ag2O, based on the total mass of the glass, R1 being selected from Ca, Mg, Zn and/or Cu and R2 being selected from Na, K
and/or Li.

2. The material of claim 1, having a glass composition P2O5 40-60 mol%, R1O 35-55 mol%, R2 2O 0- 5 mol%, SiO2, Al2O3 5-20 mol%, and Ag2O 0.1 %-5% by weight.

3. The material of claim 2, having a glass composition P2O5 45-55 mol%, stored at 50C

CaO, MgO 35-50 mol%, Na2O, K2O 0- 5 mol%, SiO2 0- 5 mol%, Al2O3 5-15 mol% and Ag2O 0.5%- 3% by weight.

4. The material of claim 3, having a glass composition P2O5 50 mol%, MgO 44 mol%, Al2O3 6 mol%, based on the total amount of the silver oxide-free glass, and Ag2O 2% by weight, based on the total mass of the glass or having a glass composition P2O5 73.35% by weight, MgO 18.33% by weight, Al2O3 6.32% by weight, and Ag2O 2.0% by weight, based on the total glass mass.

5. The material of any one of the above claims, characterized in that 0.001 %
to 40%
by weight, preferably 0.05% to 1% by weight, of the silver-containing glass is present, based on the total mass of the material.

6. The material of any one of the above claims, characterized in that the silver glasses possess a volume-based particle size of between 0.1 µm and 10 µm.

7. The material of any one of the above claims, characterized in that the silver glasses possess a residual moisture content below 5%.

8. The material of any one of the above claims, characterized in that the material is selected from the group of the polymer materials polyacrylates, polyisobutylene, styrene block copolymers (SBC), SIBS compounds, SEBS compounds, silicones, rubber compounds, chitosans, alginates, hydrogels, hydrocolloids, gel matrices based on agar agar/PAS, polymers based on PVA/PAS, and/or, preferably, polyurethanes.

9. The polymer material of claim 8, characterized in that the polymer material is self-adhesive.

10. The polymer material of claim 8 or 9, characterized in that polyurethanes of composition a) polyether polyols having 2 to 6 hydroxyl groups, OH numbers of 20 to 112, and an ethylene oxide (EO) content of >= 10% by weight, b) antioxidants, c) bismuth(III) carboxylates soluble in the polyols a) and based on carboxylic acids having 2 to 18 carbon atoms, as catalysts, and d) hexamethylene diisocyanate, with a product of the functionalities of the polyurethane-forming components a) and d) of at least 5.2, the amount of catalyst c) being 0.005% to 0.25% by weight, based on polyol a), the amount of antioxidants b) being in the range from 0.1% to 1.0% by weight, based on polyol a), and the ratio of free NCO groups of component d) to the free OH groups of component a) (isocyanate index) being in the range from 0.30 to 0.70, are selected.

11. The polymer material of any one of claims 8 to 10 above, characterized in that the polymer material is unfoamed.

12. The polymer material of any one of claims 8 to 10 above, characterized in that the polymer material is foamed.

13. The polymer material of any one of claims 8 to 12 above, characterized in that the polymer material is transparent.

14. The polymer material of any one of claims 8 to 13 above, characterized in that there are additionally present in the polymer matrix superabsorbents, preferably in a fraction of 0.01 % to 40% by weight, in particular 0.5% to 30% by weight, especially 20% by weight, based on the total mass of the polymer matrix.

15. The polymer material of any one of claims 8 to 14 above, characterized in that further antimicrobial silver compounds are additionally present.

16. The polymer material of any one of claims 8 to 15 above, characterized in that elemental aluminum, zinc, magnesium and/or their basic compounds, preferably in an amount of 0.01 % to 5% by weight, based on the total mass of the material, are present in the polymer.

17. The polymer material of any one of claims 8 to 16 above, characterized in that active skincare and/or wound-healing substances are added.

18. The polymer material of any one of claims 8 to 17 above, characterized in that the polymer material is in the form of dressing material and is applied on the skin-facing side of a backing material which on the skin-facing side is provided with a self-adhesive layer.

19. The material of any one of claims 1 to 7 above, characterized in that the material is selected from the group of cosmetic preparations, emulsions, especially in the form of W/O, O/W, W/O/W or O/W/O emulsions, a microemulsion, Pickering emulsion or sprayable emulsion, and aqueous hydrogels.

20. The material of any one of claims 1 to 7 above, characterized in that the material is selected from the group of wipes, pads, skin contact materials, the materials being moistened with an impregnating solution comprising the silver glass.

21. The material of any one of claims 1 to 7 above, characterized in that the material is selected from the group of cleansing preparations, especially bath foams and shower products, solid and liquid soaps or what are called "syndets"
(synthetic detergents), shampoos, handwash pastes, intimate washes, special cleansing products for infants, shower gels, cleansers, makeup removers or shaving products.

22. The use of materials of any one of claims 1 to 21 for antimicrobial or disinfectant skincare, haircare and/or woundcare.

23. The use of materials of any one of claims 1 to 21 for placement or application on the human or animal skin.

24. The use of the polymer material of any one of claims 8 to 18 as hydroactive wound contact material for moist wound treatment.

25. The use of the polymer material of any one of claims 8 to 18 as antimicrobial wound contact material, stable to discoloration with respect to radiation, moisture and/or heat, for application to the human skin.

26. The use of the polymer material of any one of claims 8 to 18 for wound treatment.

27. The use of the polymer material of any one of claims 8 to 18 for generating release of silver of up to 50 mg/kg of polymer material, in particular of 5 to 30 mg/kg.

28. The use of the polymer material of any one of claims 8 to 18 for generating release of silver over a period of 2 to 240 h, in particular of 10 to 96 h.

29. The use of the cosmetic preparation or cleansing preparation of any one of claims 19, 20 or 21 for alleviating irritated skin conditions, assisting the re-establishment of dermal homeostasis, and simultaneously caring for the skin.

30. The use of the cosmetic preparation of claim 19 as an aftersun product.

31. The use of the cosmetic preparation of claim 19 as a lipcare stick, or for decorative cosmetics.