JP6660280B2 - Stratum corneum sampling tool and stratum corneum sampling detection kit - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a stratum corneum collecting tool for collecting a stratum corneum of skin.

  Furthermore, the present invention relates to a kit for detecting and collecting a stratum corneum for detecting a specific component from the stratum corneum of the skin.

  Conventionally, as shown in Patent Documents 1, 2, and 3, for example, a specific component is detected from the stratum corneum of the skin, and based on the measured amount of the component, the properties of the skin, that is, a rough skin state and a parakeratosis state It has been proposed to determine such factors at the biochemical level. As the skin properties determined in this way, rough skin, for example, skin aging due to ultraviolet irradiation, dry skin due to reduced skin moisturizing power due to reduced skin barrier function, parakeratosis caused by psoriasis and atopic dermatitis, And rough skin due to hay fever.

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

  Patent Literature 3 discloses that skin diseases and sensitive skin are examined by measuring the amount of nerve growth factor and / or neurotrophic factor 4 in a stratum corneum sample.

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

Patent No. 5059600 JP 2007-279024 A JP 2004-028698 A

  Although the tape stripping method described above can be easily implemented, there is still room for improvement in the accuracy of detecting a specific component of the skin stratum corneum. That is, the tape piece that has peeled off and retained the skin stratum corneum is immersed in a solvent that extracts a specific component of the skin stratum corneum. For this purpose, it is necessary to store a certain amount of solvent in a certain container. Then, when the specific component of the skin stratum corneum is extracted into such a relatively large amount of solvent, the concentration of the specific component in the solvent becomes relatively low, so that the detection accuracy of the specific component is easily impaired. .

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a kit for detecting and measuring a stratum corneum capable of detecting and measuring a specific component of the stratum corneum with high accuracy.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a stratum corneum sampling tool for constructing such a stratum corneum sampling detection kit.

A kit for detecting a stratum corneum according to the present invention,
A rod-shaped portion having a grip portion gripped by a user at one end, a columnar portion connected to the other end of the rod-shaped portion, and a horny layer collecting tool including an adhesive layer formed on a peripheral surface of the columnar portion,
A bottomed cylindrical container having an opening at the top, containing a solvent for extracting components in the stratum corneum collected in the adhesive layer, so that the adhesive layer can be immersed in this solvent, from the opening. A solvent container for receiving the columnar portion of the stratum corneum extractor,
A lid closing the opening of the solvent container after the adhesive layer is immersed in the solvent,
It is characterized by consisting of.

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

  In the kit for detecting a stratum corneum according to the present invention, the cross-sectional area in the plane orthogonal to the cylinder axis direction of the internal space of the solvent container is more than in the portion where the opening is formed, in the portion receiving the columnar portion. Desirably it is smaller.

  In the kit for detecting a stratum corneum according to the present invention, the amount of the solvent is set such that the liquid surface of the solvent in the solvent container is located near the upper end of the adhesive layer immersed in the solvent. It is desirable.

  In the kit for detecting a stratum corneum according to the present invention, it is preferable that the grip portion also serves as the lid.

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

  On the other hand, the stratum corneum sampling tool according to the present invention has a rod-shaped portion having a grip portion gripped by a user at one end, a columnar portion connected to the other end of the rod-shaped portion, and an adhesive formed on a peripheral surface of the columnar portion. It is characterized by comprising a layer.

  The horny layer collection detection kit of the present invention is configured so that the adhesive layer formed on the peripheral surface of the columnar portion is immersed in a solvent contained in a solvent container that is a cylindrical container. The amount can be minimized as far as the solvent can be in contact with the adhesive layer. That is, the amount of the solvent can be set to such an amount as to thinly surround the adhesive layer formed on the peripheral surface of the columnar portion from the outside. If the amount of the solvent in the solvent container is kept small in this way, the specific component of the stratum corneum to be detected and measured will be extracted into the solvent at a relatively high concentration. Component detection and measurement can be performed with high accuracy.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a kit for detecting a stratum corneum according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Schematic diagram illustrating the method of using the kit for detecting and collecting a stratum corneum shown in FIG. 1 Schematic diagram illustrating the method of using the kit for detecting and collecting a stratum corneum shown in FIG. 1 The perspective view which shows one state at the time of use of the kit for detecting a stratum corneum shown in FIG. The perspective view which shows another state at the time of using the kit for detecting the stratum corneum shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a kit for detecting and extracting a stratum corneum according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The perspective view which shows the corneal-extraction detection kit by 3rd Embodiment of this invention. Schematic diagram for explaining the method of using the kit for detecting and collecting a stratum corneum shown in FIG. 7 The perspective view which shows one state at the time of using the kit for horny layer detection shown in FIG. The perspective view which shows another state at the time of using the kit for detection of the stratum corneum shown in FIG. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a kit for detecting a stratum corneum according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. Schematic diagram for explaining the method of using the kit for detecting and collecting a stratum corneum shown in FIG. 11 The perspective view which shows one state at the time of using the kit for detection of the stratum corneum shown in FIG. The perspective view which shows another state at the time of using the kit for detection of the stratum corneum shown in FIG. The perspective view which shows the corneal-extraction detection kit by 5th Embodiment of this invention. Schematic diagram for explaining a method of using the kit for detecting and collecting a stratum corneum shown in FIG. 15 The perspective view which shows one state at the time of using the kit for detection of the stratum corneum shown in FIG. The perspective view which shows another state at the time of using the kit for detection of the stratum corneum shown in FIG. The perspective view which shows the horny layer extraction detection kit by 6th Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 19 is a perspective view showing a part of the kit for detecting a stratum corneum shown in FIG. FIG. 19 is a perspective view showing one state when the kit for detecting a horny layer shown in FIG. 19 is used. The perspective view which shows another state at the time of using the kit for detection of the stratum corneum shown in FIG. The perspective view which shows another state at the time of using the kit for horny layer detection shown in FIG.

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

<< 1st Embodiment >>
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a stratum corneum sampling detection kit 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The kit for detecting a stratum corneum 1 includes a stratum corneum extractor 10 for sampling the stratum corneum from the skin of a subject, and a solvent container containing a solvent (extract) for extracting a specific component in the collected stratum corneum. 20. Except for the adhesive layer 16 described below, the stratum corneum extractor 10 and the solvent container 20 are basically formed by molding, for example, a synthetic resin such as polystyrene, polypropylene, polyethylene, or ABS resin. May be formed.

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

  The pressure-sensitive adhesive layer 16 is formed by directly applying an adhesive on the outer peripheral surface of the columnar portion 15, or by applying an adhesive on a sheet-like support to the outer peripheral surface of the columnar portion 15. I have. Specific examples of the adhesive include, for example, natural rubber, polyisobutylene rubber, polybutadiene rubber, silicone rubber, polyisoprene rubber, styrene-isoprene-styrene block copolymer rubber and other synthetic rubbers, polypropylene resins, polystyrene resins, Synthetic resins such as polyacrylate copolymer resins are exemplified. In addition, rosin, hydrogenated rosin and its ester, polyterpene resin, petroleum resin and the like can be used as the tackifier. Specific examples of the above-mentioned support include paper, soft cloth, cotton, cloth, non-woven fabric, polyester resin, urethane resin, polyethylene resin, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, and films made of various resins such as soft polyvinyl chloride. , Aluminum foil or the like, or a composite thereof, but the pressure-sensitive adhesive, the tackifier, and the support are not limited to these.

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

  The solvent container 20 contains a solvent inside. This solvent is for extracting a specific component in the stratum corneum collected on the adhesive layer 16 of the stratum corneum sampling tool 10 as described later. A temporary plug 21 for preventing the solvent from flowing out is attached to the solvent container 20. The temporary plug 21 is a substantially closed-bottomed cylindrical member that is open on the lower side and closed on the upper side as in the same manner as the plug 13 of the stratum corneum sampling tool 10 described above. The temporary plug 21 is assembled to the solvent container 20 by screwing a female screw (not shown) formed on the inner peripheral surface thereof into the male screw 20b.

  Generally, the stratum corneum sampling tool 10 and the solvent container 20 described above are provided for sale or the like in a state of being packaged in a packaging bag (not shown) or the like.

  Next, a method of using the kit 1 for detecting and collecting a stratum corneum according to the present embodiment will be described. At the time of the inspection, the stratum corneum sampling tool 10 is handled by, for example, the gripper 12 being gripped by the hand M of the harvester as shown in FIG. Then, the adhesive layer 16 is pressed against the skin of the subject to be examined of the subject H, for example, the skin of the cheek, and the gripper 12 is rotated in this state, that is, by rotating the adhesive layer 16, The stratum corneum is peeled and collected from the skin of the subject H over a wide range of the adhesive layer 16. It is to be noted that, prior to collecting the stratum corneum, the surface layer of the skin may be washed to remove sebum, dirt, makeup, etc., but this is not essential.

  When the stratum corneum is collected, the temporary plug 21 is removed from the solvent container 20 as shown by the dashed line A in FIG. 2, and the opening 20a is exposed. This removal is performed by rotating the temporary plug 21 to unscrew the male screw 20b. Note that the temporary plug 21 may be removed prior to sampling the stratum corneum.

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

  FIG. 4 shows a state in which the stratum corneum sampling tool 10 is stored in the solvent container 20 in this manner. In this state, the adhesive layer 16 of the stratum corneum extractor 10 is immersed in the solvent contained in the solvent container 20. In this state, the opening 20a of the solvent container 20 is closed by the stopper 13 and the cap 14 of the stratum corneum sampling tool 10. In other words, the plug 13 and the cap 14 that constitute the grip 12 of the stratum corneum sampling tool 10 also function as a lid that closes the opening 20a.

  When the keratin sampling tool 10 and the solvent container 20 are integrated by screwing the female screw and the male screw, the stratum corneum sampling tool 10 is coaxial with the solvent container 20 and the adhesive layer 16 is It is held in the solvent container 20 without being in contact with the inner wall. That is, the stopper 13 having the female screw and the male screw 20b of the solvent container 20 are arranged so that the adhesive layer 16 does not contact the inner wall of the solvent container 20 when the horny layer collecting tool 10 is inserted into the solvent container 20. It functions as guide means for guiding the keratin sampling tool 10.

  The amount of the solvent contained in the solvent container 20 is such that the liquid level of the solvent is located near the upper end of the adhesive layer 16 in a state where the stratum corneum sampling tool 10 is contained in the solvent container 20. It is preferable that the amount is set, so that the amount of the solvent can be suppressed to a necessary minimum amount. In addition, if the stratum corneum sampling tool 10 is adjusted so that the gap with the inner peripheral surface of the solvent container 20 is relatively small, it becomes possible to extract a specific component of the stratum corneum at a high concentration in the solvent. preferable. Here, the solvent liquid level may be higher or lower than the upper end of the adhesive layer 16. The amount of the solvent is specifically, for example, about 1 mL (milliliter).

  By storing the horny layer collecting tool 10 in a solvent container 20 and immersing the adhesive layer 16 in a solvent maintained at a predetermined temperature for a predetermined time, a specific component of the horny layer collected and held in the adhesive layer 16 is removed. Extracted into the solvent. As this type of solvent, for example, as shown in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the expression of squamous cell carcinoma-associated antigen (SCCA) in skin horny cells is measured, When judging the sensitivity, reactivity, and degree of sensitivity at the biochemical level, Tris-buffer can be applied.

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

  Here, the cap 13 and the solvent outlet 13a are not particularly provided, and the stopper 13 may be removed from the solvent container 20 when the solvent S is taken out, and the solvent S may flow out from the exposed opening 20a. .

  The solvent S taken out of the solvent container 20 is supplied to a measuring device that measures the extracted SCCA. The SCCA measurement can be performed quantitatively or qualitatively by applying any known method. Specifically, an immunoassay method using an antibody specific to SCCA, for example, an ELISA method using an enzyme label, an RIA method using a radioactive label, an immunoturbidimetric method, a Western blot method, a latex agglutination method, a hemagglutination method And various methods. The immunoassay method includes a competitive method and a sandwich method.

  In the kit for detecting and collecting a stratum corneum according to the present embodiment, as described above, the amount of the solvent in the solvent container 20 is suppressed to a necessary minimum amount. Therefore, the specific component of the stratum corneum to be detected and measured is to be extracted into the solvent at a relatively high concentration, so that the detection and measurement of the specific component can be performed with high accuracy. .

  Further, in the kit for detecting a stratum corneum 1 of the present embodiment, as described above, the cross-sectional area of the portion that receives the columnar portion 15 is smaller than that of the portion of the solvent container 20 where the opening 20a is formed. It is in a state. Accordingly, the volume of the portion for receiving the columnar portion 15 is relatively small, which is advantageous in that the amount of the solvent to be stored in the portion is set to the minimum necessary amount in which the adhesive layer 16 can be immersed. On the other hand, since the portion where the opening 20a is formed has a relatively large diameter, the outer diameter of the grip portion 12 combined therewith also becomes relatively large, and the grip portion 12 is easily gripped.

  In the stratum corneum sampling detection kit 1 of the present embodiment, the columnar portion 15 has a larger diameter than the rod-shaped portion 11, but they are formed from a single member having a uniform diameter. Is also good. In addition to forming the rod-shaped portion 11 and the columnar portion 15 in a columnar shape, for example, they may be formed in a quadrangular columnar shape, a hexagonal columnar shape, or those having a hollow inside (for example, a circular tube or a square tube). Good.

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

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

<< 2nd Embodiment >>
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 6, the same elements as those already described are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted unless otherwise necessary (the same applies hereinafter).

  The stratum corneum sampling detection kit 2 according to the second embodiment differs from the stratum corneum sampling detection kit 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 in that the structure of the lid closing the opening 20a of the solvent container 20 is different. It is. That is, in the stratum corneum sampling detection kit 2, a convex solvent outflow portion 13b is formed in the upper bottom portion of the plug portion 13 of the stratum corneum sampling device 10, and an opening is formed inside the solvent outflow portion 13b at the upper end surface. A solvent outlet 13a is provided. A cap 17 is attached to the solvent outlet 13b, and the cap 17 closes the solvent outlet 13a. A male screw is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the solvent outflow portion 13b, while a female screw is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the cap 17, and both of these screws are screwed together, so that the cap 17 is attached to the solvent outflow portion 13b. It is to be attached.

  Even in the case of using the stratum corneum sampling detection kit 2 having the above configuration, the sampling of the stratum corneum using the stratum corneum sampling tool 10 and the accommodation of the stratum corneum sampling tool 10 in the solvent container 20 are performed in the first embodiment. This is performed in the same manner as in the case of using the horny layer collection detection kit 1 in the form. Then, after the adhesive layer 16 is immersed in the solvent contained in the solvent container 20, when the solvent is taken out from the solvent container 20, the cap 17 is rotated to unscrew the two screws, and the cap 17 Is removed from the solvent outlet 13b. As a result, the solvent outlet 13a is opened, and the solvent is taken out of the solvent container 20 therefrom.

<< 3rd Embodiment >>
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Compared to the kit for detecting a stratum corneum according to the third embodiment, the kit for detecting a stratum corneum 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 has a structure in which the solvent container 20 is used after the adhesive layer 16 is immersed in a solvent. This is basically different in that a lid closing the opening 20a is formed on the solvent container 20 side.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 7, in the stratum corneum sampling tool 10 constituting the stratum corneum sampling detection kit 3, the plug portion shown in FIG. A holding portion 30 formed in a cylindrical shape with a bottom is attached similarly to 13. When the stratum corneum is collected using the stratum corneum sampling tool 10, the grasping portion 30 is grasped by a human hand and the stratum corneum sampling tool 10 is handled.

  On the other hand, in the solvent container 20, a stopper 31 formed in a cylindrical shape with a bottom is attached similarly to the temporary stopper 21 shown in FIG. The stopper portion 31 is attached to the upper portion of the solvent container 20 by screwing a female screw (not shown) formed on the inner peripheral surface thereof into a male screw 20b shown in FIG. A cap 32 that constitutes the lid together with the plug 31 is attached to the plug 31. The lower end of the cap 32 and the upper end of the plug 31 are configured such that, for example, a locking groove formed on one side and a locking projection (both not shown) formed on the other side are locked. Accordingly, the state in which the cap 32 covers the stopper 31 is maintained. An unlocking portion 31a is provided on a part of the outer peripheral surface of the plug portion 31 to bend when pressed, thereby assisting the unlocking between the plug portion 31 and the cap 32.

  Hereinafter, a method of using the horny layer extraction detection kit 3 of the present embodiment will be described. In the case of using the stratum corneum sampling detection kit 3 as well, the sampling of the stratum corneum using the stratum corneum sampling tool 10 and the accommodation of the stratum corneum sampling tool 10 in the solvent container 20 are performed according to the stratum corneum of the first embodiment. This is performed in the same manner as in the case where the sampling detection kit 1 is used. Prior to storing the stratum corneum extractor 10 in the solvent container 20, the stopper 31 is removed from the upper part of the solvent container 20, as shown by the dashed line A in FIG. Then, the stratum corneum extractor 10 is housed in the solvent container 20 from the columnar portion 15 through the opening 20a, as shown by the one-dot chain line B in FIG. FIG. 9 shows the state at this time.

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

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

  In the kit for detecting a stratum corneum of the present invention, the solvent container 20 may be formed of a material having relatively high rigidity, or may be formed of a material having relatively low rigidity and flexibility. . When the solvent container 20 is formed from the latter material, even if the solvent outlet 31b is considerably small and the solvent S hardly flows out therefrom, the outer peripheral surface of the solvent container 20 should be slightly pressed inward to be deformed. This allows the solvent S to flow out smoothly.

<< 4th Embodiment >>
Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Compared with the kit for detecting and collecting a stratum corneum 4 according to the fourth embodiment, the opening 20a of the solvent container 20 after the adhesive layer 16 is immersed in a solvent is different from the kit for detecting and collecting a stratum corneum 2 shown in FIG. This is basically different in that a closed lid is formed on the solvent container 20 side.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 11, the stratum corneum sampling tool 10 constituting the stratum corneum sampling detection kit 4 has one end of the rod-shaped portion 11, that is, the plug portion shown in FIG. A holding portion 30 formed in a cylindrical shape with a bottom is attached similarly to 13. When the stratum corneum is collected using the stratum corneum sampling tool 10, the grasping portion 30 is grasped by a human hand and the stratum corneum sampling tool 10 is handled.

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

  Hereinafter, a method for using the kit 4 for detecting and collecting a stratum corneum according to the present embodiment will be described. In the case of using the stratum corneum sampling detection kit 4 as well, collection of the stratum corneum using the stratum corneum sampling tool 10 and storage of the stratum corneum sampling tool 10 in the solvent container 20 are performed using the stratum corneum of the first embodiment. This is performed in the same manner as in the case where the sampling detection kit 1 is used. Prior to accommodating the stratum corneum extractor 10 in the solvent container 20, the stopper 40 is removed from the upper portion of the solvent container 20, as indicated by a dashed line A in FIG. Then, the stratum corneum extractor 10 is housed in the solvent container 20 from the columnar portion 15 through the opening 20a, as indicated by the alternate long and short dash line B in FIG. FIG. 13 shows the state at this time.

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

  Next, as shown in FIG. 14, the screw engagement between the solvent outlet 40 b and the cap 42 is released, and the cap 42 is removed from the stopper 40. When the cap 42 is removed in this manner, the solvent outlet 40a is opened. In this state, when the solvent container 20 is placed in a posture in which the upper part thereof faces downward, the extracted solvent S containing the specific component of the stratum corneum is taken out of the solvent container 20 from the solvent outlet 40a.

<< 5th Embodiment >>
Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The stratum corneum sampling detection kit 5 according to the fifth embodiment differs from the stratum corneum sampling detection kit 3 shown in FIGS. 7 to 10 in that the gripping portion 30 is removed from the stratum corneum sampling tool 10. Are basically different. That is, in the present embodiment, the one end of the rod-shaped portion 11 itself is a grip portion for gripping the stratum corneum sampling tool 10.

  Hereinafter, a method for using the kit 5 for detecting and collecting a stratum corneum according to the present embodiment will be described. Even in the case where the kit 5 for detecting a stratum corneum is used, the collection of the stratum corneum using the stratum corneum collection tool 10 and the accommodation of the stratum corneum collection tool 10 in the solvent container 20 are performed in accordance with the stratum corneum of the third embodiment. This is basically performed in the same manner as in the case where the sampling detection kit 3 is used. However, in this case, as described above, the stratum corneum sampling tool 10 is gripped by gripping one end of the rod-shaped portion 11.

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

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

<< Sixth Embodiment >>
Next, a sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 19, the kit for detecting a stratum corneum 6 according to the sixth embodiment includes a stratum corneum extractor 10 similar to that shown in FIG. It is composed of

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

  A lid 52 is provided on the opening 51b. The lid 52 has a hinge portion 52a that protrudes to the side, and the hinge portion 52a and the hinge portion 51a perform hinge connection by bending a synthetic resin. As a result, the lid 52 can take a closed position where the opening 51b is closed as shown in FIG. 19 and an open position where the opening 51b is exposed as shown in FIG.

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

  Hereinafter, a method of using the horny layer extraction detection kit 6 of the present embodiment will be described. Also in the case of using the stratum corneum sampling detection kit 6, sampling of the stratum corneum using the stratum corneum sampling tool 10 is performed in the same manner as in the case of using the stratum corneum sampling detection kit 5 shown in FIG.

  The stratum corneum collecting tool 10 that has collected and held the stratum corneum on the adhesive layer 16 is housed through the opening 51b in the solvent container 50 in which the lid 52 is set to the open position as shown in FIG. When the stratum corneum sampling tool 10 is accommodated in the solvent container 50, the lid 52 is set to the closed position, and the opening 51b is closed. FIG. 21 shows the state at this time. Thus, the adhesive layer 16 that collects and holds the stratum corneum is immersed in the solvent in the solvent container 50. A guide member (guide means) that fits loosely into the rod-shaped portion 11 is formed inside the cylindrical portion 52d, so that the stratum corneum sampling tool 10 is coaxial with the solvent container 20 and has an adhesive. The layer 16 is held in the solvent container 20 so as not to contact the inner wall of the solvent container 20.

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

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

  The stratum corneum sampling tool 10 can be combined with the solvent container 20 or 50 described above to form a kit for detecting a stratum corneum, or can be independently applied for sampling a stratum corneum. By using such a stratum corneum extractor 10, it becomes possible to collect the stratum corneum by a simpler operation than in a known tape stripping method or the like.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 A kit for detecting a stratum corneum 10 A stratum corneum sampling tool 11 A rod portion 12, 30 A grip portion 13 A plug portion 13a, 31b, 40a, 52e Solvent outlet 13b, 40b, 52b Solvent outflow Part 14, 17, 32, 42 Cap 15 Columnar part 16 Adhesive layer 20, 50 Solvent container 20a, 51b Opening 31, 40 Plug part 31a Unlocking release part 51 Flange part 51a, 52a Hinge part 52 Cover 52c Peeling piece 52d Cylindrical Part

Claims (5)

A rod-shaped portion having a grip portion gripped by a user at one end, a columnar portion connected to the other end of the rod-shaped portion, and a horny layer collecting tool including an adhesive layer formed on a peripheral surface of the columnar portion,
A bottomed cylindrical container having an opening at the top, containing a solvent for extracting components in the stratum corneum collected in the adhesive layer, so that the adhesive layer can be immersed in this solvent, from the opening. A solvent container for receiving the columnar portion of the stratum corneum extractor,
A lid closing the opening of the solvent container after the adhesive layer is immersed in the solvent,
Has,
A solvent outlet is formed on the lid so as to be able to maintain a closed state, and is opened to take out the solvent from inside the solvent container to the outside of the container,
The grip portion can be used in place of the lid, and is configured to be able to close the opening of the solvent container while being attached to the rod portion,
A kit for detecting the stratum corneum. A rod-shaped portion having a grip portion gripped by a user at one end, a columnar portion connected to the other end of the rod-shaped portion, and a horny layer collecting tool including an adhesive layer formed on a peripheral surface of the columnar portion,
A bottomed cylindrical container having an opening at the top, containing a solvent for extracting components in the stratum corneum collected in the adhesive layer, so that the adhesive layer can be immersed in this solvent, from the opening. A solvent container for receiving the columnar portion of the stratum corneum extractor,
A lid closing the opening of the solvent container after the adhesive layer is immersed in the solvent,
Has,
A solvent outlet is formed on the lid so as to be able to maintain a closed state, and is opened to take out the solvent from inside the solvent container to the outside of the container,
The solvent outlet is provided in the lid at a position offset from the center of the opening of the solvent container,
A kit for detecting the stratum corneum. Cross-sectional area in a plane perpendicular to the tube axis direction of the inner space of the solvent container, than in a portion where the opening is formed, a smaller and has been has claim 1 or 2, wherein the portion for receiving said post portion Kit for detecting the stratum corneum. The horny layer collection detection according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the amount of the solvent is set such that a liquid level of the solvent is located near an upper end of the adhesive layer immersed in the solvent. Kit. The horny layer collection detecting device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising guide means for positioning the horny layer collection tool inserted into the solvent container so that the adhesive layer does not contact the inner wall of the solvent container. kit.