JP2014198281A - Container for centrifugal separation, centrifugal separator and centrifugal separation method using them - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable recovering centrifuged ingredients of an analyte efficiently.SOLUTION: In a container 1 for centrifugal separation used in a method of separating centrifugally ingredients 5a and 5b of an analyte by rotating the container 1 with the central axis of the container as the rotational axis, a storage part forming a storage space 10 includes a trap part which forms a trap space 10a of a capacity capable of storing a high-specific-gravity ingredient when the analyte is centrifuged to form a layer structure on the outer peripheral side of the storage space 10, an inclined inner wall part 20 which decreases gradually in diameter and connects the portion from the trap part to the bottom part, and a guide part 22 which is provided at a position crossing the area where the layer structure is to be formed so as to be directed from the trap part toward the inclined inner wall part 20 in order to guide low-specific-gravity ingredients in the layer structure flowing under the inertial force produced by deceleration of rotation to the inclined inner wall part 20.

Description

  The present invention relates to a centrifuge container, a centrifuge, and a centrifuging method using them by rotating the container about a central axis of the container and rotating the container to centrifuge each component of a specimen in the container. .

  Conventionally, a centrifuge method is known in which a container is rotated to centrifuge each component of a specimen such as blood in the container. In such a centrifuge method, a centrifuge container having an inner wall inclined so as to become higher from the center toward the outer periphery and having a storage part for forming a storage space for storing a sample inside the container is used for storage. After injecting the sample into the space, the container is rotated. Then, due to the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the container, each component of the specimen is separated so as to form a layer structure from the inner peripheral side to the outer peripheral side in order from the component having a low specific gravity. Thereafter, when the rotation of the container is stopped, the low specific gravity component on the inner peripheral side is generally peeled off from the layer structure and stored in the bottom of the container.

  However, when a conventional centrifuge container is used, even if the rotation of the container stops, the low specific gravity component does not readily peel off from the layer structure until the low specific gravity component is stored at the bottom of the container. There is a problem that it takes a considerable amount of time. Especially when centrifuging blood, a solvent may be applied to the inner wall of the container to prevent hemolysis, but this solvent makes it difficult to peel off the low specific gravity component (plasma), so the above problem is remarkable. Become. In addition, as described above, the amount of the sample to be processed at one time in the centrifuge container is 600 to 800 μL at most. Therefore, if the centrifuged component remains stuck in the reservoir, the component that can be recovered decreases. There may also be a problem that the required amount cannot be recovered.

  Accordingly, various proposals have been made to improve the recovery efficiency of low specific gravity components. For example, in Patent Document 1, by using a centrifuge container in which a capillary phenomenon-inducing structure is formed on the inner wall surface of a reservoir, the capillary structure of a low specific gravity component is induced, thereby the above-mentioned layer structure having a low specific gravity component. A method for promoting the exfoliation of the film is disclosed. Further, Patent Document 2 uses a centrifuge container in which a hydrophilic region and a hydrophobic region are formed on the inner wall surface of a storage part, and promotes the flow of a low specific gravity component so that the above-mentioned layer structure having a low specific gravity component. A method for promoting delamination from a substrate is disclosed.

JP 2001-239185 A US Pat. No. 7,947,186

  However, in the method of Patent Document 1, since the capillary phenomenon is used, the induction speed of the low specific gravity component is limited, and it cannot be said that the recovery efficiency is sufficient from the time aspect until the component recovery. On the other hand, in the method of Patent Document 2, a hydrophilic region having a predetermined shape is formed in the storage portion using a gel film. However, it is not easy to make the hydrophilic region and the hydrophobic region into appropriate shapes. Absent. Therefore, in this method, the manufacturing process of the container becomes complicated, and there remains a problem that the manufacturing cost of the container increases.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a centrifuge container and a centrifuge method that enable more efficient recovery of a centrifuged component of a specimen. .

In order to solve the above problems, the centrifugation container of the present invention is
In the centrifuge container used for the method of centrifuging the low specific gravity component and the high specific gravity component in the specimen injected into the storage space by rotating the container around the central axis of the container,
It has a storage part that forms a storage space,
The trap part forms a trap space having a size capable of accommodating a high specific gravity component when the specimen is centrifuged and a layer structure is formed on the outer peripheral side of the storage space, and the trap part while the diameter is reduced In order to induce the low specific gravity component in the inclined inner wall part connecting between the bottom and the bottom part and the flowing laminar structure due to the inertial force accompanying the deceleration of rotation to the inclined inner wall part And a guide portion provided from the trap portion toward the inclined inner wall portion at a position crossing the region where the is formed.

  In the centrifuge container of the present invention, the guide portion includes a protrusion-shaped barrier portion provided on the bottom surface of the trap portion, and the barrier portion is a barrier surface that is in contact with the flowing low specific gravity component. It is preferable to have a barrier surface facing the inner peripheral side in the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the container. In this case, the barrier surface is preferably inclined at an angle of 30 ° or more and less than 90 ° with respect to the radial direction with respect to the central axis. In addition, the barrier surface is preferably inclined in the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the container so as to form an acute angle with the bottom surface of the trap portion, and the barrier portion has a smooth change angle along the circumferential direction with respect to the central axis. It is preferable to have. Moreover, it is preferable that the barrier part is separated from the inner wall surface at the back of the trap part so as not to contact the high specific gravity component captured by the trap part.

  In the centrifugation container of the present invention, the guide portion includes a slope portion provided on the bottom surface of the trap portion, and the slope portion is an inclined surface provided as a part of the bottom surface of the trap portion, It is preferable to have an inclined surface facing the inner peripheral side in the rotational direction. In this case, it is preferable that the slope portion is separated from the inner wall surface at the back of the trap portion so as not to contact the high specific gravity component captured by the trap portion.

  In the centrifuge container of the present invention, it is preferable that the guide portion has a streamline shape so that a low specific gravity component is smoothly induced.

  Moreover, in the centrifuge container of the present invention, a configuration in which only one guide portion is disposed can be employed. In this case, the centrifuge container preferably includes a balance adjusting unit that adjusts the balance of the container so as to offset the deviation of the center of gravity from the central axis due to the formation of the guide unit. Moreover, it is preferable that the balance adjustment part is provided in the inclination inner wall part of the position symmetrical with the position in which the guide part was formed regarding the central axis.

  Or in the container for centrifugation of this invention, the structure by which 2-6 guide parts are arrange | positioned is employable. In this case, it is preferable that the guide portions are uniformly arranged along the circumferential direction with respect to the central axis.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the container for centrifugation of the present invention includes a thixotropic separating agent having a specific gravity between the specific gravity of the low specific gravity component and the specific gravity of the high specific gravity component in the storage space.

The centrifuge of the present invention is
A centrifuge container as described above;
And a container holding portion that rotates with the central axis of the container as a rotation axis in a state where the container is held.

Furthermore, the centrifugation method of the present invention includes:
Inject the sample into the centrifuge container described above,
The container is rotated with the central axis of the container as a rotation axis, and the low specific gravity component and the high specific gravity component in the specimen are centrifuged.

  In the centrifugal separation method of the present invention, the step of rotating the container increases the deceleration gradient at the stage of rotating the container at a rotational speed exceeding 1000 rpm / s, and then at the stage where the rotational speed becomes 1000 rpm / s or less. And stopping the rotation. In this case, it is preferable to increase the deceleration gradient to 20000 rpm / s or more.

  The centrifuge container of the present invention has a layer structure formed so as to induce the low specific gravity component in the layer structure flowing due to the inertial force accompanying the deceleration of rotation to the inclined inner wall portion. And a guide portion provided from the trap portion toward the inclined inner wall portion at a position crossing the region to be formed. According to the container of the present invention, the guide portion changes the flow direction of the low specific gravity component flowing due to the inertial force accompanying the deceleration of rotation to the inclined inner wall portion side. The peeling of the low specific gravity component can be promoted. As a result, the centrifuged component of the specimen can be collected more efficiently.

  In addition, since the centrifuge and the centrifuge method of the present invention perform centrifugation using the centrifuge container of the present invention, it is possible to more efficiently collect the centrifuged components of the specimen.

It is the schematic which shows the structure of the container for centrifugation of one Embodiment. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the internal structure of the container in the XX cross section of FIG. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the structure of a centrifuge. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the mode inside the container at the time of centrifugation. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the process of the centrifugation method. It is a graph which shows the example of rotation control of a container. It is the schematic which shows the other structure of the guide part of the container for centrifugation. It is the schematic which shows the other structure of the guide part of the container for centrifugation. It is the schematic which shows the other structure of the guide part of the container for centrifugation. It is the schematic which shows the other structure of the guide part of the container for centrifugation.

  Hereinafter, although an embodiment of the present invention is described using a drawing, the present invention is not limited to this. In addition, for easy visual recognition, the scale of each component in the drawings is appropriately changed from the actual one.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing the structure of the centrifuge container 1 of the present embodiment. 1a is a perspective view of the body member 2 of the container 1, FIG. 1b is a perspective view of the lid member 3 of the container 1, and FIG. 1c is a top view of the body member 2. 1d is a top view showing the direction of the normal vector of the barrier surface. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the container 1 in the XX cross section.

  The container 1 of this embodiment is comprised from the main body member 2 and the cover member 3 of a container, as FIG.1 and FIG.2 shows. The main body member 2 supports the inclined inner wall portion 20, the bottom portion 21, the three barrier portions 22, the trap bottom surface portion 23, the trap side surface portion 26, the fitting portion 24 fitted to the lid member 3, and these. And a support outer wall portion 25. The lid member 3 has an opening 31 for injecting a specimen.

  The container 1 as a whole, except for the barrier portion 22, has an internal structure (in other words, centered on the central axis C) that is substantially line-symmetric with respect to an axis that passes through the center of the bottom 21 and is perpendicular to the bottom 21 (the central axis C of the container). And a substantially cylindrical shape in appearance. At the time of centrifugation, for example, the lid member 3 is fixed in a state of being fitted to the fitting portion 24 of the main body member 2, and the container 1 is rotated with the central axis C as a rotation axis. The rotation direction of the container is selected as appropriate, and in the present embodiment, for example, it is clockwise (clockwise) in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 2, when the main body member 2 and the lid member 3 are fitted, a storage space 10 into which a specimen is injected is formed. Specifically, the storage space 10 is a space surrounded by the inclined inner wall portion 20, the bottom portion 21, the trap bottom surface portion 23, the trap side surface portion 26, and the lid member 3. Among these storage spaces, in particular, the space 10a sandwiched between the trap bottom surface portion 23, the trap side surface portion 26 and the lid member 3 becomes a trap space for trapping a high specific gravity component when the sample is centrifuged by rotating the container. That is, the inclined inner wall portion 20, the bottom portion 21, the trap bottom surface portion 23, the trap side surface portion 26, and the lid member 3 correspond to the storage portion in the present invention, and the trap bottom surface portion 23, the trap side surface portion 26, and the lid member 3 in the present invention. Corresponds to the trap part.

  The inclined inner wall portion 20 has a substantially conical shape and has an inclined surface whose diameter decreases toward the bottom portion 21. The lower portion of the storage space 10 is formed by this inclined surface.

  The bottom portion 21 connected to the lower end of the inclined inner wall portion 20 has a substantially horizontal flat surface that smoothly connects to the lower end of the inclined surface of the inclined inner wall portion 20. In the present embodiment, this flat surface forms the bottom surface of the storage space 10, but the bottom surface of the storage space 10 does not have to be flat in the present invention.

  The trap bottom surface portion 23 connected to the upper end of the inclined inner wall portion 20 has a substantially horizontal flat surface that smoothly connects to the upper end of the inclined surface of the inclined inner wall portion 20. This flat surface forms the bottom surface of the trap space 10a. The trap side surface portion 26 has a vertical surface that connects perpendicularly to the flat surface of the trap bottom surface portion 23. This vertical plane forms the back side of the trap space 10a.

  The trap space 10a has an annular shape centered on the central axis C, and the volume of the trap space 10a is designed according to the amount of the sample to be injected. In general, the amount of specimen that can be injected into the container 1 is determined by the specification for each container, so the volume of the trap space 10a is determined based on the specification range. Further, for example, a separating agent (or separating gel) is disposed in advance in the trap space 10a. This separating agent is appropriately selected from materials having a specific gravity in the middle of the specific gravity of each component according to the low specific gravity component and the high specific gravity component to be separated in the specimen. Specifically, when separating blood plasma (low specific gravity component) and blood cells (high specific gravity component), a material having a specific gravity intermediate between the specific gravity of plasma and the specific gravity of blood cells may be selected.

  Each protrusion-shaped barrier portion 22 provided on the trap bottom surface portion 23 corresponds to a guide portion of the present invention, and the trap side surface portion 26 is located at a position crossing a region where a layer structure as a centrifugal separation product is formed. To the inclined surface of the inclined inner wall portion 20. Moreover, the front-end | tip part (corner part by the side of an inclination inner wall part) of the barrier part 22 has reached the inclined surface of the inclination inner wall part 20 beyond the connection part of the trap bottom face part 23 and the inclination inner wall part 20, and the front-end | tip The lower side of the portion extends so as to be coupled to the inclined surface. However, in the present invention, the distal end portion of the barrier portion 22 does not need to reach the inclined inner wall portion 20, and the distal end portion may be on the trap bottom surface portion 23, for example. Moreover, it is preferable that the front-end | tip part of the barrier part 22 has an angle | corner in which the change of the gradient along the circumferential direction regarding the central axis C is smooth, ie, the angle | corner formed in the top view cross section, and was provided with R. In this case, it is possible to suppress destruction of solid components (for example, blood cells) in the sample when the sample moves over the barrier portion 22 in the circumferential direction.

  The three barrier portions 22 are equally arranged in the circumferential direction (that is, at intervals of 120 °), and the trap space 10a is partitioned into three sections by the three barrier portions 22. Each barrier portion 22 has a substantially triangular prism shape (so-called wedge shape) coupled to the trap side surface portion 26 as a whole, and extends upward to the same height as the fitting portion 24. The shape of the barrier portion 22 is not limited to the triangular prism shape, and a quadrangular prism shape or other three-dimensional shape can be adopted as long as the following barrier surface can be formed. In the present embodiment, the barrier portion 22 is designed so that there is no gap between the barrier portion 22 and the lid member 3 when the lid member 3 is fitted to the main body member 2. It is not limited to. That is, a gap may exist between the barrier portion 22 and the lid member 3 as long as the low specific gravity component that flows as described below can be guided to the inclined surface of the inclined inner wall portion 20.

  Each barrier portion 22 has one barrier surface 22a for one section. The barrier surface 22a is a surface in contact with the flowing low specific gravity component so as to guide the low specific gravity component flowing due to the inertial force accompanying the deceleration of rotation to the inclined surface of the inclined inner wall portion 20. It is a surface facing the inner peripheral side in the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the container, or a part of such a surface. “Directed toward the inner circumferential side in the direction opposite to the rotational direction” means that the normal vector m at any point in the plane is the rotational direction of the container with respect to the circumferential direction as shown in FIG. And a component ma directed in the central axis with respect to the radial direction with respect to the central axis C. Therefore, the barrier surface 22a is inclined at a predetermined angle α with the radial direction. The angle α is not particularly limited, but is preferably 30 ° or more and less than 90 ° from the viewpoint of induction efficiency, more preferably 35 ° or more and 70 ° or less, and 40 ° or more and 60 ° or less. preferable. The barrier surface 22a of the present embodiment is perpendicular to the flat surface of the trap bottom surface portion 23, but has an acute angle with the flat surface so as to guide the flow while suppressing the flow downward. You may incline in the reverse direction. That is, the normal vector m of the barrier surface 22a may have a downward component. Thereby, the low specific gravity component which flows more efficiently can be induced.

  The support outer wall portion 25 extends downward from the trap side surface portion 26 while surrounding the entire inclined inner wall portion 20, and the lower end of the support outer wall portion 25 is longer below the bottom portion 21, so that the main body member 2 is stably supported. .

  The lid member 3 has an opening 31 and has a flat plate shape as a whole. The opening 31 serves as an injection port for injecting the specimen into the storage space 10. In the present embodiment, the container 1 is rotated while the opening 31 remains open. However, the opening may be opened and closed as necessary. A part of the flat surface of the lid member 3 on the storage space 10 side forms the upper surface of the trap space 10a.

  Centrifugation is performed using a centrifuge 50 as shown in FIG. 3, for example. The centrifuge 50 has an open / close lid 51a, a housing 51 that forms a storage space 52 for storing the container 1, a turntable 53 (container holding unit) that is provided in the storage space 52 and on which the container 1 is mounted. Is provided. The container 1 is carried into the accommodation space 52 with the opening / closing lid 51 a opened, and is mounted on the turntable 53. The turntable 53 is rotatably supported by a rotation mechanism (not shown) such as a motor, and the container 1 is placed so that the center axis C of the container 1 mounted on the turntable 53 and the rotation axis R coincide with each other. Rotate.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the inside of the container during centrifugation. FIG. 4 shows a state in which a layer structure as a result of centrifugation is formed in the outer peripheral region of the storage space 10 as a result of the centrifugation of the specimen having the low specific gravity component 5a and the high specific gravity component 5b. ing. This layer structure has a structure of a low specific gravity component 5a, a separating agent 4 and a high specific gravity component 5b in order from the inner peripheral side. As shown in FIG. 5, the barrier surface 22 a (or the barrier portion 22) is formed on the flat surface of the trap bottom surface portion 23 that crosses the region where the layer structure is formed. Thereby, when the low specific gravity component flows due to the inertial force accompanying the deceleration of the rotation, the traveling direction of the flow is changed along the barrier surface 22a, and the flowing low specific gravity component is the inclined surface of the inclined inner wall portion 20. Be guided to. As a result, the low specific gravity component 5a is easily peeled off from the layer structure. Since such a guide part can be easily formed only by adjusting the shape of the mold when the main body member 2 is manufactured by injection molding or the like, the manufacturing cost of the container is not increased. In this embodiment, the trap space 10a has a size that can accommodate the entire layer structure (FIG. 4), but the volume of the trap space 10a is at least a high specific gravity component of the layer structure. 5b is a size that can be accommodated, and preferably larger than a size that can accommodate the high specific gravity component 5b and the separating agent 4.

  Hereinafter, the process of the centrifuge method using the centrifuge container 1 and the centrifuge 50 as described above will be described. FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the steps of the centrifugation method.

  First, the container 1 in which the separating agent 4 is disposed in advance in the trap space 10a is prepared, and the specimen 5 is injected into the storage space 10 from the opening 31 of the container 1 (a in FIG. 5). The sample 5 is injected using, for example, a pipette or a syringe. Next, the container 1 into which the specimen 5 has been injected is mounted on the rotary base 53 of the centrifugal separator 50 and rotated in the Dr direction. At this time, the contents of the container 1 are separated according to the specific gravity by the centrifugal force of rotation, and a layer structure is formed on the outer peripheral side of the storage space 10 (b in FIG. 5). The high specific gravity component 5 b is captured in the trap space 10 a by the trap part (the trap bottom part 23, the trap side part 26 and the lid member 3) and the separating agent 4. Next, when the rotation of the container 1 turns to deceleration, the inertial force F in the same direction as the Dr direction acts on the layer structure (c in FIG. 5). Generally, in the layered structure, the low specific gravity component 5a that is a liquid component easily flows, and the high specific gravity component 5b that is a solid component hardly flows. Therefore, the low specific gravity component 5a is separated from the layer structure according to the action of the inertial force F and starts to flow, and is guided to the inclined surface of the inclined inner wall portion 20 by the barrier surface 22a existing in the flow direction (c in FIG. 5). ). On the other hand, the high specific gravity component 5b remains in the trap space. When all the low specific gravity components 5a are peeled from the layer structure, the low specific gravity components 5a are accumulated in the storage space 10 and only the low specific gravity components 5a are extracted and can be recovered (d in FIG. 5).

  In the above process, from the viewpoint of efficiently performing the centrifugation, it is preferable to control the rotation of the container with a rotation speed profile as shown in FIG. Specifically, FIG. 6 is a graph showing a rotation speed profile from the start to the end of rotation in a series of steps. First, the rotation speed is increased to a rotation speed exceeding 1000 rpm (for example, 5000 rpm) in the acceleration step A. Thereafter, the rotation speed is maintained at a constant value in the constant speed process B, and then decelerated in the deceleration process C. An inertial force is generated during the deceleration process C. The degree of deceleration (deceleration gradient) is not particularly limited as long as the low specific gravity component 5a flows. In order to secure a sufficient inertial force, it is preferable to provide a sudden stop step D for suddenly stopping the rotation after the deceleration step C. The deceleration gradient at the time of sudden stop is, for example, 20000 rpm / s or more. In this case, it is preferable that the sudden stop step D is performed at a stage where the rotation speed becomes 1000 rpm or less. This is because even if the rapid stop process is performed at a rotational speed exceeding 1000 rpm, the centrifugal force is still too strong and the low specific gravity component continues to rotate around the outer periphery of the storage space 10 without descending. At this time, the high specific gravity component may escape from the trap space due to the collision of the low specific gravity component around the outer periphery, and the low specific gravity component and the high specific gravity component may be remixed.

  As described above, according to the container of the present embodiment, the barrier portion as the guide portion causes the low specific gravity component in the layered structure flowing due to the inertial force accompanying the deceleration of rotation to the inclined inner wall portion. Therefore, peeling of the low specific gravity component from the layer structure can be promoted. Further, such a barrier portion can be easily formed simultaneously with the molding of the container. As a result, the centrifuged component of the specimen can be collected more efficiently.

  In addition, since the centrifuge and the centrifuge method of the present invention perform centrifugation using the centrifuge container of the present invention, it is possible to more efficiently collect the centrifuged components of the specimen. In particular, when the sudden stop step D for suddenly stopping the rotation is performed, it is possible to easily ensure a sufficient inertial force, and it is possible to efficiently collect the centrifuged components of the specimen.

  Incidentally, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Sho 62-273065, which is a Japanese patent publication, protrusions (radiating blades 42) that extend radially and horizontally toward the outer periphery of a centrifuge container are formed in a flat region at the upper part of an inclined surface. Disposing at intervals is disclosed. However, as is clear from FIG. 4 of the above document, the radiation blade 42 of the above document has only a surface perpendicular to the circumferential direction with respect to the central axis, and the flowing low specific gravity component is inclined to the inclined surface ( The above document does not lead to the inner wall 44).

<Design changes>
The main body member or guide portion of the container 1 of the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the main body member or guide portion in the above embodiment.

  For example, FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view (a) and a schematic top view (b) showing the configuration of the main body member 2a having three slope portions 35 as guide portions, and an upper surface showing the direction of the normal vector of the inclined surface. It is a figure (c). The guide part in the main body member 2a in FIG. 7 includes three slope parts 35 each having an inclined surface (shaded area in the drawing) formed from the trap bottom surface part 23 to the inclined surface of the inclined inner wall part 20. The said inclined surface is a surface provided as a part of bottom face of a trap part, and is a surface which faced the inner peripheral side of the rotation direction of a container, or has such a surface in part. “Looking toward the inner peripheral side in the rotation direction of the container” means that the normal vector n at any point in the plane is in the rotation direction of the container with respect to the circumferential direction as shown in FIG. It means having a component nb facing and having a component na directed toward the central axis with respect to the radial direction. The three slope portions 35 are arranged evenly in the circumferential direction (that is, at intervals of 120 °), and each inclined surface is smoothly connected to the flat surface of the trap bottom surface portion 23. The slope portion 35 is formed so as to be included in a predetermined angle range β around the central axis C, and the angle range β is preferably, for example, 30 to 60 °. The slope portion 35 has a substantially triangular shape in a top view, and can guide a low specific gravity component flowing from one side to the opposite vertex. As described above, the flow of the low specific gravity component can be controlled not by the protruding barrier portion as in the above embodiment but also by the slope portion 35 as described above.

  FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view (a) and a schematic top view (b) showing the configuration of the main body member 2 b having three guide portions 36. The guide part 36 in the main body member 2b in FIG. 8 is a combination of the barrier part 36a described in the above embodiment and the slope part 36b (shaded area in the drawing) shown in FIG. The slope portion 36b is formed so as to be adjacent to the bottom surface of the barrier portion 36a on the barrier surface side. Therefore, the low specific gravity component gradually guided by the slope portion 36b can be reliably guided to the inclined surface of the inclined inner wall portion 20 by the barrier portion 36a. In addition, details about the barrier portion 36a (for example, the shape, height and arrangement of the barrier portion and inclination of the inclined surface) and details about the slope portion 36b (shape and arrangement of the slope portion, etc.) are the same as described above. It is.

  FIG. 9 a is a schematic top view showing the configuration of the main body member 2 c having three guide portions 37. The guide portion 37 in the main body member 2c of FIG. 9a is a barrier portion similar to the barrier portion 22 described in the above embodiment, but is formed away from the inner wall surface 26a of the trap side wall portion 26. Different from the barrier section 22. The distance between the guide portion 37 and the inner wall surface 26a is set so as not to cross at least the layer region of the high specific gravity component in the layer structure, and preferably not to cross the layer region of the separating agent. Even if inertia force acts on the high specific gravity component (or the high specific gravity component and the separating agent) of the layer structure by forming the guide portion 37 apart from the inner wall surface 26a as shown in FIG. Since the portion 37 does not contact the high specific gravity component (or the high specific gravity component and the separating agent), the high specific gravity component captured in the trap space is not guided to the inclined surface of the inclined inner wall portion 20. Therefore, remixing of the low specific gravity component and the high specific gravity component can be suppressed, and the low specific gravity component can be extracted more efficiently. Other details of the guide portion 37 (for example, the shape, height and arrangement of the barrier portion and the inclination of the inclined surface) are the same as those described above.

  FIG. 9 b is a schematic top view showing a configuration of the main body member 2 d having three guide portions 38. The guide part 38 in the main body member 2d of FIG. 9b has a barrier part 38a and a slope part 38b, similar to the guide part 36 shown in FIG. 8, but is separated from the inner wall surface 26a of the trap side wall part 26. It differs from the guide part 36 in that it is formed. In addition, details of the separation from the inner wall surface 26a (distance and effect, etc.), details of the barrier portion 38a (for example, the shape, height and arrangement of the barrier portion, inclination of the inclined surface, etc.) and details of the slope portion 38b ( The shape and arrangement of the slope portion are the same as described above.

  FIG. 9 c is a schematic top view showing the configuration of the main body member 2 e having three guide portions 39. The guide part 39 in the main body member 2e of FIG. 9c is the same as the guide part 38 shown in FIG. 9b, but the overall shape is streamlined so that a lower specific gravity component can be smoothly induced. It differs from the guide part 38 in that it has a shape. Specifically, the inclined surface of the barrier portion 38a has a planar shape, but the inclined surface of the barrier portion 39a has a smooth shape, that is, a curved shape in which the gradient of the surface continuously changes. doing. In addition, details of the separation from the inner wall surface 26a (distance and effect, etc.), details of the barrier 39a (for example, the shape, height and arrangement of the barrier and inclination of the inclined surface, etc.) and details of the slope 39b ( The shape and arrangement of the slope portion are the same as described above.

  Further, the number of the guide portions can be appropriately selected according to, for example, the capacity of the container (volume of the storage space) and the specification range of the sample amount.

  For example, a in FIG. 10 is a schematic top view showing a configuration of the main body member 2f having one guide portion 40 and a protrusion 27 formed on the back side of the inclined inner wall portion 20. The guide portions 40 in the main body member 2f of FIG. 10a are the same as the guide portions 39 shown in FIG. 9c except for the number. The protruding portion 27 adjusts the position of the center of gravity of the container 1 itself due to the formation of the guide portion 40 on the inclined inner wall portion 20, and corresponds to the balance adjusting portion of the present invention. In FIG. 10 a, only one guide portion 40 is formed on the inclined inner wall portion 20, but as a result of the formation of only one guide portion 40, the design of the central axis of the container in FIG. The position of the center of gravity of the container may be shifted. In such a case, the rotation of the container becomes unstable, which is not preferable. Therefore, by providing the protrusion 27 in order to cancel the difference in the moment of inertia generated by the formation of the barrier portion, the weight at a position that is substantially symmetric with respect to the position where the guide portion 40 is formed with respect to the central axis C. Is heavy. A plurality of protrusions 27 may be provided. And such a balance adjustment part should just be able to adjust the balance of a container, and is not limited to a protrusion-shaped structure. For example, a structure in which a material having a high density is embedded in the inclined inner wall portion 20 at a position substantially symmetric with respect to the position where the guide portion 40 is formed with respect to the central axis C may be employed as the balance adjusting portion. Further, the balance adjusting portion can be provided not on the inclined inner wall portion 20 but on the support outer wall portion 25. Note that the balance adjustment unit is not essential in the present invention. For example, when the deviation of the center of gravity as described above does not occur in the first place, or when the deviation of the center of gravity is so small that it can be ignored in the centrifugation, it is necessary to provide the balance adjustment unit. Absent. As a case where the center of gravity does not shift, for example, when a plurality of guide portions are arranged in a balanced manner as in the embodiment, or even if there is only one guide portion, the difference in moment between the barrier portion and the slope portion May be offset.

  FIG. 10 b is a schematic top view showing the configuration of the main body member 2 g having six guide portions 41. The guide portions 41 in the main body member 2g of FIG. 10b are the same as the guide portions 39 shown in FIG. The six guide portions 41 are arranged uniformly in the circumferential direction (that is, at intervals of 60 °), and each inclined surface is smoothly connected to the flat surface of the trap bottom surface portion 23.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Centrifugal container 2, 2a-2g Main body member 3 Lid member 4 Separating agent 5 Sample 5a Low specific gravity component 5b High specific gravity component 10 Storage space 10a Trap space 20 Inclined inner wall portion 21 Bottom portion 22 Barrier portion (guide portion)
22a Barrier surface 23 Trap bottom surface portion 24 Fitting portion 25 Support outer wall portion 26 Trap side surface portion 27 Projection portion 31 Opening 35-41 Guide portion 50 Centrifugal device R Rotating shaft

Claims (19)

In the centrifuge container used for the method of centrifuging the low specific gravity component and the high specific gravity component in the specimen injected into the storage space by rotating the container around the central axis of the container,
Comprising a reservoir that forms the reservoir space;
The reservoir portion has a diameter that is smaller than a trap portion that forms a trap space having a size capable of accommodating a high specific gravity component when the specimen is centrifuged and a layer structure is formed on the outer peripheral side of the reservoir space. However, the inclined inner wall portion connecting the trap portion to the bottom portion and the low specific gravity component in the layered structure flowing due to the inertial force accompanying the deceleration of the rotation are guided to the inclined inner wall portion. As described above, the centrifuge container is characterized by having a guide portion provided from the trap portion toward the inclined inner wall portion at a position crossing the region where the layer structure is formed. The guide part includes a protrusion-shaped barrier provided on the bottom surface of the trap part,
The centrifuge container according to claim 1, wherein the barrier portion has a barrier surface that is in contact with the flowing low specific gravity component and faces the inner peripheral side in the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the container.   The centrifuge container according to claim 2, wherein the barrier surface is inclined at an angle of 30 ° or more and less than 90 ° with respect to a radial direction with respect to a central axis.   The centrifuge container according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the barrier surface is inclined in the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the container so as to form an acute angle with the bottom surface of the trap portion.   The container for centrifugation according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the barrier portion has an angle at which a change in gradient along a circumferential direction with respect to a central axis is smooth.   The centrifuge container according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the barrier portion is separated from an inner wall surface at the back of the trap portion so as not to contact the high specific gravity component captured by the trap portion. . The guide portion includes a slope portion provided on the bottom surface of the trap portion,
The centrifuge according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the slope portion has an inclined surface provided as a part of a bottom surface of the trap portion and facing an inner peripheral side in a rotation direction of the container. Separation container.   The centrifuge container according to claim 7, wherein the slope portion is separated from the inner wall surface at the back of the trap portion so as not to contact the high specific gravity component captured by the trap portion.   The centrifuge container according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the guide portion has a streamline shape so that the low specific gravity component is smoothly guided.   The centrifuge container according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein only one guide portion is disposed.   The centrifuge container according to claim 10, further comprising a balance adjusting unit that adjusts a balance of the container so as to cancel a deviation of the center of gravity from the central axis due to the formation of the guide unit.   The centrifuge container according to claim 11, wherein the balance adjusting portion is provided on the inclined inner wall portion at a position symmetrical to a position where the guide portion is formed with respect to a central axis. The centrifuge container according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein 2 to 6 guide portions are arranged.   The centrifuge container according to claim 13, wherein the guide portions are evenly arranged along a circumferential direction with respect to a central axis.   The container for centrifugation according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein a thixotropic separating agent having a specific gravity between the specific gravity of the low specific gravity component and the specific gravity of the high specific gravity component is provided in the storage space. The centrifuge container according to any one of claims 1 to 15,
A centrifuge device comprising: a container holding portion that rotates with the central axis of the container as a rotation axis while holding the container. A sample is injected into the centrifuge container according to any one of claims 1 to 15,
A centrifugal separation method comprising: centrifuging a low specific gravity component and a high specific gravity component in the specimen by rotating the container about a central axis of the container as a rotation axis.   The step of rotating the container includes a step of rotating the container at a rotational speed exceeding 1000 rpm / s, and a step of stopping the rotation by increasing a deceleration gradient when the rotational speed becomes 1000 rpm / s or less thereafter. The centrifugation method of Claim 17 containing.   The centrifugation method according to claim 18, wherein the deceleration gradient is increased to 20000 rpm / s or more.

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