JP7148420B2 - Cat urine disposal tool and cat toilet - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a cat urine disposal tool and a cat litter box.

2. Description of the Related Art In a processing tool for processing pet excrement, a deodorant is applied to the processing tool for the purpose of making the odor generated from the excrement less perceptible. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a pet deodorant containing an aluminosilicate represented by a specific chemical formula. Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a deodorant-containing product containing a deodorant containing a phenolic compound or the like and an enzyme capable of oxidizing the compound.

JP 2007-229151 A JP-A-2005-65750

Cat urine odor (hereinafter also referred to as cat urine odor) is known to be more odorous than human and dog urine odors, and an improvement in the deodorizing effect against cat urine odor is desired. However, it is difficult to say that the pet deodorants and deodorant-containing products described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 have a sufficient deodorizing effect on cat urine odor.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a cat urine disposal tool capable of overcoming the above-described drawbacks of the prior art.

The present invention comprises an antagonist fragrance that inhibits the activation of human olfactory receptors caused by thiols derived from cat urine and the activation of human olfactory receptors caused by isovaleric acid. However, the object is achieved by providing a cat urine disposal tool which is either one or both of acetylcedrene and florhydral.

Further, the present invention is a cat litter box comprising a partition section that divides a litter box body into an upper layer portion and a lower layer portion, wherein the partition portion has a screen-like liquid passage portion, and the upper portion includes an excretion portion. The cat urine disposal tool described above is disposed in the lower layer portion, and the excrement disposal material activates human olfactory receptors caused by thiols derived from cat urine. The above object has been achieved by providing a composition comprising an inhibitory component.

According to the cat urine disposal tool and cat litter box of the present invention, cat urine odor can be effectively suppressed.

FIG. 1(a) is a schematic diagram showing the mechanism by which an odorant molecule of interest activates an olfactory receptor, and FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the mechanism by which activation is inhibited. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view in the thickness direction taken along the width direction at the center region along the longitudinal direction, showing one embodiment of the cat urine disposal tool of the present invention. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view schematically showing one embodiment of the cat litter box of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an example of the usage state of the pet litter box shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line VV of FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the results of sensory evaluation of the cat urine odor suppressing effect in Examples of the present invention and Comparative Examples. FIG. 7 shows the results of measuring the responses of human olfactory receptors to thiols derived from cat urine. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the results of measurement of responses of human olfactory receptors to thiols derived from cat urine in the presence of acetylcedrene or florhydral. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the results of sensory evaluation of the inhibitory effect of acetylcedrene or fluorohydral on the thiol odor derived from cat urine. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the results of measuring the responses of human olfactory receptors to isovaleric acid. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the results of sensory evaluation of the inhibitory effect of isovaleric acid odor by acetylcedrene or fluorohydral.

The present invention will be described below based on its preferred embodiments.
The cat urine disposal tool of the present invention contains a fragrance. The perfume used in the present invention is an antagonist perfume that functions as a substance that inhibits the activation of human olfactory receptors caused by cat urine odor components. The antagonist is a competitive antagonist that inhibits the action by competing for the binding site, and the antagonist perfume is, as shown in FIG. When the odor molecule 21 binds to the olfactory receptor 20 and activates the receptor 20 to transmit odor information, as shown in FIG. By applying, the other molecule 22 inhibits the activation of the receptor for the target odor molecule 21, and as a result, the other molecule used to suppress the odor perceived by the individual. . That is, by using an antagonist perfume, it is possible to achieve odor suppression by olfactory receptor antagonism. Thus, by using the antagonist perfume, even if the antagonist perfume itself does not have a strong aroma, a high effect of suppressing cat urine odor is exhibited.

Suppression of odors by olfactory receptor antagonism is also a means of using other molecules, but is distinct from means of masking the target odor with the scent of perfumes, such as deodorizing with fragrances. be done. Suppression of odors by olfactory receptor antagonism is performed using substances that inhibit the activation of olfactory receptors. When a substance that inhibits the activation of receptors for odor molecules that produce a specific odor is applied, the activation of the receptors for the odor molecules is inhibited, thereby ultimately suppressing the odor perceived by the individual. can do.

The present inventors have extensively studied the main components responsible for cat urine odor and deodorizing means for cat urine odor, and found that the main components responsible for cat urine odor are thiol and isovaleric acid. In particular, thiol is a component rarely detected in urine odors of other animals, and has been found to be a component characteristic of cat urine odors. In the present invention, an antagonist perfume that inhibits the activation of human olfactory receptors caused by thiol and isovaleric acid, which are components characteristic of cat urine odor, is applied to a cat urine disposal tool.
The antagonist perfume according to the invention is acetylcedrene or florhydral. Both acetylcedrene and phrorhydral are antagonist perfumes that inhibit both the activation of human olfactory receptors caused by thiols derived from cat urine and the activation of human olfactory receptors caused by isovaleric acid. Either one or both of acetylcedrene and fluorohydral are used as the antagonist perfume of the present invention. Cat urine odor can be effectively suppressed by suppressing the odors of thiol and isovaleric acid derived from cat urine by antagonism of olfactory receptors with acetylcedrene and/or furorhydral.

Human olfactory receptors whose activation is inhibited by the antagonist perfume according to the present invention are activated due to isovaleric acid and OR2M3, etc., which are receptors that are activated due to thiols derived from cat urine. and OR51I2, which is a receptor for Suppressing the activation of these receptors can ultimately suppress the odor perceived by an individual. By inhibiting the activation of OR2M3 and the like, the antagonist perfume according to the present invention exerts a specific odor suppressing effect on thiols derived from cat urine, and by inhibiting the activation of OR51I2 and the like, An odor suppressing effect is exhibited specifically for isovaleric acid.

In the present invention, cat urine-derived thiols that activate human olfactory receptors include 3-Mercapto-3-methylbutyl Format (hereinafter also referred to as MMF), 3-Mercapto-3-methyl-1-butano, 3-Methyl-3-(methylthio)-1-butanol (hereinafter also referred to as MMB) and the like. The antagonist perfume according to the present invention inhibits the activation of human olfactory receptors caused by these.

Examples of the cat urine disposal tool of the present invention include those containing sheet-like absorbents or mat-like absorbents, hardening type cat litter, and the like. When the cat urine disposal tool of the present invention contains a sheet-like absorbent, the sheet-like absorbent can contain other ingredients in addition to the above-mentioned antagonist perfume. Other ingredients include antibacterial agents, adsorbents, neutralizers, water-absorbing polymers, pulp, leak-proof sheets, surface materials, core wrap sheets, and other fragrances. From the point of view, antibacterial agents, water-absorbing polymers, pulp, leak-proof sheets, surface materials, and core wrap sheets are preferred. When the cat urine disposal tool of the present invention contains a mat-like absorbent, the mat-like absorbent can contain other ingredients in addition to the above-mentioned antagonist perfume. Other ingredients include woody absorbent mats and antibacterial agents. When the cat urine disposal tool of the present invention is a hardening type cat litter, the hardening type cat litter may be of various forms such as mineral litter, hardened dietary fiber such as bean curd refuse, and woody litter. can be used, and the clumping type cat litter can contain antibacterial agents as other ingredients in addition to the antagonist fragrances described above.

The antibacterial agent contained in the tool for treating cat urine of the present invention preferably suppresses the growth of bacteria having urease activity. As used herein, a bacterium having urease activity means a bacterium that produces an enzyme (urease) that hydrolyzes urea contained in urine into carbon dioxide and ammonia, and grows in urine to generate ammonia. , such bacteria include Brevundimonas intermedia, Sporosarcina ureae, Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella, Morganella morganii, Corynebacterium, and the like. Antibacterial agents include fluorohydral, piroctone olamine, didecyldimethylammonium chloride, benzalkonium chloride, benzethonium chloride, parahydroxybenzoic acid ester, alkyltrimethylammonium chloride, isopropylmethylphenol, etc. Among these, low concentration Florhydral, piroctone olamine, and didecyldimethylammonium chloride are preferable from the viewpoint that the effect is expected in . In addition, the above-mentioned antibacterial agent can be used individually by 1 type or in combination of 2 or more types. Since the cat urine disposal tool contains an antibacterial agent such as florhydral or piroctone olamine, the growth of bacteria having urease activity is suppressed, and ammonia having a very strong irritating odor is generated by the action of the bacteria. Therefore, the cat urine odor can be suppressed more effectively.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the cat urine disposal tool 1 of this embodiment preferably has a sheet-like shape. The cat urine disposal tool 1 has two sides along the first direction X and two sides along the second direction Y that is orthogonal to the first direction X, and has a rectangular shape in plan view. have. The cat urine disposal tool 1 may have a rectangular shape or a square shape. It has a rectangular shape that is longer than it is long. In this embodiment, the first direction X is the width direction of the cat urine disposal tool 1 and the second direction Y is the longitudinal direction of the cat urine disposal tool 1 . In the present specification, the thickness direction of the cat urine disposal tool is the direction indicated by Z in FIG. In addition, the front surface is the surface of the cat urine disposal tool that faces upward when the cat urine disposal tool is used, and the back surface is the surface of the cat urine disposal tool that is directed downward when the cat urine disposal tool is used. .

The cat urine disposal tool of the present invention may be of a single layer, or may be of a laminate of multiple layers. The cat urine disposal tool 1 of this embodiment is formed by laminating a plurality of layers, and FIG. 2 shows an example of its cross-sectional configuration. As shown in FIG. 2, the cat urine disposal tool 1 preferably comprises a top sheet 2, a back sheet 3, and an absorbent body 4 interposed between the sheets 2 and 3. As shown in FIG.
The surface sheet 2 in the cat urine disposal tool 1 is liquid permeable. One side of the surface sheet 2 constitutes the surface of the cat urine disposal tool 1 . On the other hand, the backsheet 3 has liquid impermeability or liquid impermeability. One side of the back sheet 3 constitutes the back side of the cat urine disposal tool 1 . The top sheet 2 , back sheet 3 and absorber 4 each have a long shape extending in the same direction as the longitudinal direction Y of the cat urine disposal tool 1 .
The absorbent body 4 is sandwiched and fixed between the top sheet 2 and the back sheet 3 . The top sheet 2 and the back sheet 3 have portions extending from the absorbent body 4 . The extending portion of the topsheet 2 extends over the entire periphery of the topsheet 2 , and the extending portion of the backsheet 3 extends over the entire periphery of the backsheet 3 . The top sheet 2 and the back sheet 3 are joined to each other at the respective extension portions.

The absorbent body 4 is constructed by covering an absorbent core 40 with a liquid-permeable core wrap sheet 44 made of tissue paper or water-permeable nonwoven fabric. The core wrap sheet 44 preferably covers the entire surface of the absorbent core 40 . Moreover, the core wrap sheet 44 preferably covers the entire back surface of the absorbent core 40 as well. Furthermore, it is preferable that the core wrap sheet 44 also covers the entire left and right side surfaces of the absorbent core 40 . In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, two core wrap sheets 44 are used, and the front surface, back surface and both side surfaces of the absorbent core 40 are covered with each core wrap sheet 44a, b. Both ends 44e in the width direction X of the core wrap sheet 44b arranged on the back side are folded back to the front side of the absorbent core 40 to cover both ends in the width direction X of the absorbent core 40. .

The absorbent core 40 is constructed from an absorbent material 46 . As the liquid-absorbent material, the same materials as those conventionally used in the technical field of cat urine disposal can be used. For example , various fiber materials are used as liquid-absorbing materials, specifically natural fibers such as wood pulp, cotton, and hemp; synthetic fibers made of synthetic resins such as polyethylene and polypropylene; and semi-synthetic fibers such as acetate and rayon. be able to. These fiber materials can be used singly or in combination of two or more. The absorbent core 40 includes a superabsorbent polymer 47 which is a hydrogel material having water absorption, swelling and water retention properties.

The antagonist fragrance may be placed at any position in the cat urine disposal tool 1, but is preferably placed on the surface side of the cat urine disposal tool 1. FIG. In other words, it is preferable that the antagonist perfume is arranged outside the superabsorbent polymer 47 that absorbs and retains the cat urine odor and is the source of the odor. Specifically, the antagonist perfume is preferably applied to one or both of the surfaces of the surface sheet 2 and the absorbent body 4 . When the antagonist perfume is arranged on the absorbent body 4 , it is more preferably arranged on the portion of the core wrap sheet 44 covering the surface of the absorbent core 40 . In this embodiment, the portion of the core wrap sheet 44 covering the surface of the absorbent core 40 consists of a core wrap sheet 44a arranged on the surface side of the absorbent core 40 and a portion arranged on the back side of the absorbent core 40. Both ends 44e, 44e of the core wrap sheet 44b are formed. By arranging the antagonist fragrance in this way, the antagonist fragrance reaches the surrounding people first before the smell generated from the cat urine held in the superabsorbent polymer 47 reaches the surrounding people. The effect of suppressing the odor caused by the antagonist perfume becomes remarkable.

Although the antibacterial agent may be placed at any position in the cat urine disposal tool 1, it is preferably placed in the absorbent body 4 of the cat urine disposal tool 1. FIG. By disposing the antibacterial agent in the absorbent body 4, when the absorbent body 4 absorbs and retains cat urine, the feline urine is less likely to putrefy, thereby producing an advantageous effect of suppressing the generation of odor. be. When the absorbent body 4 contains the absorbent material 46 and the superabsorbent polymer 47 as in this embodiment, the antibacterial agent is contained in either the absorbent material 46 or the superabsorbent polymer 47. However, from the viewpoint of suppressing the generation of ammonia in the superabsorbent polymer 47 that absorbs and retains cat urine, it is preferably contained in at least the superabsorbent polymer 47 .

In this embodiment, phrorhydral is both an antagonist perfume and an antibacterial agent, as described above. Therefore, when the feline urine disposal tool 1 contains florhydral, the feline urine disposal tool 1 contains both the antagonist perfume and the antibacterial agent. As described above, florhydral may be arranged at any position of the cat urine disposal tool 1, but when florhydral is used as an antagonist flavoring agent, it may be arranged on the surface side of the cat urine disposal tool 1. Preferably, when florhydral is used as an antibacterial agent, it is preferably arranged in the absorbent body 4. When florhydral is used as both an antagonist perfume and an antibacterial agent, it is placed on the surface side of the cat urine disposal tool 1 and on the absorbent body 4. It is preferable that they are arranged on both sides.

The cat urine disposal tool 1 of this embodiment can be used in combination with a cat litter box 10 (hereinafter also referred to as a litter box 10) as shown in FIGS. The cat litter box shown in Figures 3 and 4 is one embodiment of the cat litter box of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 3, the toilet 10 includes a partition section 30 that divides the toilet body 11 into an upper layer portion A and a lower layer portion B. As shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4, the toilet body 11 has, in the upper layer portion A, a sand storage section 12 in which a large number of granular excrement disposal materials 32 are laid. Further, the toilet body 11 has, as shown in FIG.
The tray housing portion 15 is provided at the bottom of the container 13 having an opening at the top. The container 13 has a support portion (not shown) consisting of a protrusion or a stepped portion protruding inward on its inner peripheral surface, and the sand storage portion 12 can be opened by fitting the sand storage portion 12 from above. 12 can be detachably fixed to the upper part of the container 13 .

As shown in FIG. 3, the tray 16 accommodates the cat urine disposal tool 1 of the present embodiment. The tray 16 has a thin bottom and a substantially rectangular planar shape, and can be put in and taken out of the tray accommodating portion 15 . When the cat urine disposal tool 1 is accommodated in the tray 16 and the tray 16 is accommodated in the tray accommodating portion 15, the partition portion 30 positioned at the bottom of the sand accommodating portion 12 has a screen-like passage when viewed vertically from above. The liquid portion 31 and the cat urine disposal tool 1 are in an overlapping state. It is preferable that the feline urine disposal tool 1 has a size that overlaps with the whole of the mesh-shaped liquid-permeable part 31 .
In the upper layer portion A of the toilet body 11, excrement liquid such as urine excreted by the cat passes along the excreta disposal material 32 of the sand storage portion 12 and through the liquid passage portion 31 of the partition portion 30, and in the lower layer portion B, It falls on the cat urine disposal tool 1 accommodated in the tray 16. - 特許庁
In FIG. 3, the longitudinal direction Y and the width direction X of the cat urine disposal tool 1 are aligned with the longitudinal direction and the width direction of the toilet 10, but they do not have to be aligned.

To further explain the toilet 10, the toilet body 11 is a molded product made of synthetic resin such as polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer (ABS), and It has a substantially rectangular planar shape with curved corners of 200 to 800 mm and a short side of 150 to 500 mm, and has a height of, for example, 100 to 200 mm.
The upper layer portion A has a height of approximately 40 to 200 mm, and the lower layer portion B has a height of approximately 0 to 40 mm.

The excrement disposal material 32 may be made of any material as long as it is solidified into granules. Examples of the excrement treating material 32 include those made of mineral substances such as zeolite, and those made by hardening pulverized material derived from plants and a binder. Minerals include zeolite and silica gel. As the pulverized plant-derived material, for example, wood flour, pulp, or the like can be used. Specifically, pulverized materials of conifers of the family Cedar, Pinaceae, or Cupressaceae can be used as the wood powder. Any binder can be used without particular limitation as long as it can solidify the pulverized material derived from plants into granules. Specifically, a synthetic resin or the like can be used as the binder.

The excreta disposal material 32 contains a component that inhibits the activation of human olfactory receptors caused by thiols derived from cat urine. The component may be the same as the antagonist flavor contained in the cat urine disposal tool 1 . Examples of the component include acetylcedrene and fluorohydral, and it is preferable to use these.

The excrement treating material 32 preferably contains a water-repellent resin from the viewpoint of having a water-repellent function. Examples of such resins include polyolefins such as polyethylene and polypropylene, polyesters such as polyethylene terephthalate, polyamides, resins such as vinyl resins, and copolymers thereof.
The excrement disposal material 32 allows the excrement liquid to pass through quickly and drops to the lower layer portion B through the liquid passage hole of the liquid passage portion 31, and the cat urine disposal tool 1 in the tray 16 arranged in the lower layer portion B. From the viewpoint of positively absorbing the excreted fluid, it is preferable to have low absorbency. From the same point of view, the excrement disposal material 32 preferably has an absorption rate of 1% or more, more preferably 2% or more, preferably 10% or less, more preferably 9% or less, preferably 1%. 10% or more, more preferably 2% or more and 9% or less.

The term "absorption rate" as used herein refers to the mass increase rate of an object to be measured that has been immersed in water at 25°C for 3 seconds, and is expressed by the following formula.
(Amount of substance to be measured after immersion - Amount of substance to be measured before immersion) / (Amount of substance to be measured before immersion) x 100 (%)

The excrement treating material 32 preferably contains inorganic powder from the viewpoint of shape retention and deodorizing properties. Examples of the inorganic powder include tectosilicate and the like, and it is particularly preferable to use zeolite.

As shown in FIG. 5, the toilet 10 has an upper layer portion A in which an excrement disposal material 32 is arranged, and a lower layer portion B in which a feline urine disposal tool 1 is arranged. According to the toilet 10, in addition to the effect of suppressing cat urine odor by the cat urine disposal tool 1, the above-mentioned component of the excrement disposal material 32 further activates the olfactory receptor caused by the thiols derived from cat urine. Since it can be suppressed, the cat urine odor can be suppressed more effectively.

In the cat urine disposal tool of the present invention, the content of the antagonist perfume is not particularly limited, and can be appropriately set according to the desired deodorant performance, absorption performance, and the like. For example, 1 mg or more and 2000 mg or less of an antagonist fragrance can be included per sheet-like cat urine disposal device (eg, Nyantomo (registered trademark) clean toilet deodorizing antibacterial sheet: manufactured by Kao Corporation).

EXAMPLES The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to examples. However, the scope of the invention is not limited to such examples.

[Example 1]
A sample having the same cross-sectional structure as the sheet-like cat urine disposal tool 1 shown in FIG. 2 was manufactured. The absorber 4 of the sample has a length of 4 cm in the longitudinal direction Y and a length of 4 cm in the width direction X. An absorber 4 is sandwiched between a 6 cm square top sheet 2 and a 6 cm square back sheet 3, and the top sheet 2 and the back sheet 3 are sealed along the peripheries of both sheets 2 and 3 with a width of 1 cm to obtain a sample. manufactured. As each member constituting the sample, the following were used. The antagonist perfume was applied to the core wrap sheet 44a (4 cm square) on the surface side so that the amount of the antagonist perfume added to the core wrap sheet 44a was 7% by mass. A sample manufactured in this manner was designated as Example 1.
・Top sheet 2: Polyolefin nonwoven fabric, 20 gsm
・Back sheet 3: Polyethylene sheet, 20 gsm
・Core wrap sheet 44a on the front side: Tissue paper, 16 gsm
- Core wrap sheet 44b on the back side: Tissue paper, 16 gsm
・Upper layer of absorbent material 46: Pulp, 100 gsm
・Super Absorbent Polymer 47: Water absorbent resin of crosslinked sodium polyacrylate, 117 gsm
・Lower layer of absorbent material 46: Pulp, 100 gsm
・Antagonist fragrance: Acetylcedrene

[Example 2]
Example 2 was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1, except that acetylcedrene was changed to fluorohydral.

[Comparative Example 1]
Comparative Example 1 was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1, except that Cedarwood Oil Texas was used instead of acetyledrene.
[Comparative Example 2]
Comparative Example 2 was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1, except that acetylcedrene was changed to α-pinene.
[Comparative Example 3]
Comparative Example 3 was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1, except that acetylcedrene was changed to β-pinene.

〔evaluation〕
1 cc of cat urine was added dropwise to Examples 1 and 2 and Comparative Examples 1 to 3 every day. Dropping of cat urine was performed for 7 days. One day and seven days after the start of dripping cat urine, the odors of Examples 1 and 2 and Comparative Examples 1 to 3 were sensory evaluated according to the following criteria. The results are shown in FIG.
5: Strong odor 4: Strong odor 3: Easily perceptible odor 2: Weak odor that can be identified 1: Barely perceptible 0: Odorless

As is clear from the results shown in FIG. 6, in Examples 1 and 2, compared to Comparative Examples 1 to 3, cat urine odor was observed both 1 day and 7 days after the start of dripping of cat urine. found to be suppressed.

Details of the antagonist perfumes used in the Examples and Comparative Examples are given below.
Acetylcedrene (alias: methyl cedryl ketone), IUPAC name: [1-[(1S,2R,5R,7S)-2,6,6,8-tetramethyltricyclo[5.3.1.01,5] undec-8-en-9-yl]ethanone], CAS registration number: 32388-55-9, trade name: Vertofix; (International Flavors & Fragrances, Inc.)
- Phlorhydral [alias: β-Methyl-3-(1-methylethyl)benzenepropanal), 3-(3-ISOPROPYLPHENYL) BUTANAL], IUPAC name: 3-(3-propan-2-ylphenyl) butanal, CAS registration number: 125109 -85-5, trade name: Florhydral (manufactured by Givaudan SA)
・α-pinene IUPAC name: [(1S,5S)-2,6,6-trimethylbicyclo(3.1.1)-2-heptene], CAS number registration: 7785-26-4, trade name: (-)- α-pinene (manufactured by Fujifilm Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd.)
・β-pinene IUPAC name [(1S,5S)-6,6-dimethyl-2-methylenebicyclo[3.1.1]heptane], CAS number registration: 18172-67-3, trade name: (-)-β- Pinene (manufactured by Fujifilm Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd.)
・Cedarwood Oil Texas CAS registration number: 91722-61-1, Product name: CEDARWOOD OIL TEXAS (manufactured by TEXAROME)

Next, the following Test Examples 1 to 3 were used to evaluate antagonist perfumes against olfactory receptor responses caused by MMF or MMB.
First, according to Test Example 1 below, OR2M3 was identified as an olfactory receptor that recognizes MMF and MMB, which are major malodorous substances in cat urine odor components.
[Test Example 1] Concentration-dependent response of OR2M3 to thiol derived from cat urine 1) Cloning of human olfactory receptor gene OR2M3 Based on the sequence information registered in GenBank, OR2M3, one of the human olfactory receptors was cloned. Cloning was performed by PCR using a human genomic DNA female (G1521: manufactured by Promega) as a template. The gene amplified by the PCR method was recombined downstream of the Flag-Rho tag sequence on the pME18S vector.
2) Preparation of pME18S-human RTP1S vector The gene encoding human RTP1S was inserted into the EcoRI and XhoI sites of the pME18S vector.
3) Preparation of OR2M3-Expressing Cells The olfactory receptor expressed in HEK293 cells couples with intracellular Gas and activates adenylate cyclase, thereby increasing intracellular cAMP levels. In the present invention, a luciferase reporter gene assay was used to monitor the increase in intracellular cAMP level as a luminescence value derived from the firefly luciferase gene (fluc2P-CRE-hygro) to measure the response of cells to malodorous substances. In addition, a Renilla luciferase gene fused downstream of the CMV promoter (hRluc-CMV) was transfected at the same time and used as an internal standard for correcting errors in transfection efficiency or cell number. Dual-Glo ^™ luciferase assay system (manufactured by Promega) was used to measure luciferase activity.
First, HEK293 cells expressing OR2M3 were prepared. A reaction solution having the composition shown in Table 1 was prepared and allowed to stand in a clean bench for 15 minutes. 10 μL of the reaction solution was added to each well of a multiwell plate (BioCoat ^™ 96-well plate: manufactured by Corning International), and then 90 μL of HEK293 cells (2×10 ⁵ cells/cm ² ) were added to seed the cells. The cells were then cultured for 24 hours in an incubator maintained at 37° C. and 5% CO ₂ . As a control, cells (mock) that do not express the receptor were prepared.

4) Response of OR2M3-expressing cells to cat urine-derived thiol After culturing for 24 hours, the medium was removed from the receptor-expressing cell culture, and 75 μL of a medium containing or not containing a malodorous substance was added to each well. and measured 4 hours after the addition according to the manufacturer's operating manual. A DMEM solution containing 300 μM CuCl ₂ was used as the medium added here. MMF or MMB was used as the malodorous substance.
The final concentration of MMF was adjusted to 0.003-0.03 mM and the final concentration of MMB was adjusted to 0.01-0.1 mM. The amount of MMF or MMB added was 75 μL. The value obtained by dividing the luminescence value derived from firefly luciferase induced by malodorous substance stimulation by the luminescence value in cells not stimulated with malodorous substance was calculated as fold increase and used as an index of response intensity.

5) Evaluation The results are shown in FIG. No responses to MMF and MMB were observed in mock cells, whereas concentration-dependent responses to both MMF and MMB were observed in OR2M3-expressing cells. The above results indicate that OR2M3 is an olfactory receptor that recognizes MMF and MMB, which are components of cat urine odor.

Next, in Test Example 2 below, the ability of acetylcedrene and fluorohydral to suppress the response to OR2M3 identified in Test Example 1 was confirmed.
[Test Example 2] Inhibitory activity of OR2M3 response by acetylcedrene and furorhydral 1) Test method The response of OR2M3 to MMF or MMB in the presence of a test substance was measured to examine changes in response intensity. Luciferase assay of OR2M3-expressing HEK293 cells was performed in the same manner as in 4) of Test Example 1 except that the final concentrations of MMF and MMB were fixed and the test substance was added to the medium added to each well. OR2M3 responses (fLuc/hRluc values) to MMF or MMB were measured in the presence and absence of . Either acetylcedrene or florhydral was used as the test substance. Acetylcedrene and fluorohydral were the same as those used in Examples. The final concentration of MMF was adjusted to 0.03 mM, and the final concentration of MMB was adjusted to 0.1 mM. Final concentrations of test substances were prepared in the range of 0-1 mM.
<Method for calculating response intensity of OR2M3>
fLuc/hRluc values induced by MMF or MMB stimulation alone (X), fLuc/hRluc values in cells not stimulated with MMF or MMB (Y), and costimulation of MMF or MMB with any test substance. The fLuc/hRluc value (Z) induced by The response intensity (Response (%)) of the receptor to MMF or MMB in the presence of the test substance was determined by the following formula.
Response (%) = (Z-Y) / (X-Y) x 100
Three independent experiments were performed, and the mean value of the response intensity obtained in each experiment was calculated.

2) Evaluation FIG. 8 shows the results of measuring the response of OR2M3 caused by MMF or MMB. Both acetylcedrene and furorhydral inhibited the MMF and MMB responses of OR2M3 in a concentration-dependent manner. Thus, it was confirmed that acetylcedrene and furorhydral are antagonist perfumes against the OR2M3 activity caused by MMF or MMB. Therefore, in the cat urine disposal tool of the present invention, one or both of acetylcedrene and florhydral are arranged, thereby effectively suppressing the cat urine odor caused by MMF and MMB in particular. Recognize.

Then, using the antagonist perfumes acetylcedrene and florhydral against the OR2M3 activity identified in Test Example 2, the effect of suppressing the odor of MMF or MMB was confirmed in Test Example 3 below.
[Test Example 3] MMF or MMB odor suppression effect by antagonist perfume 1) Sensory test A 0.1% (v/v) solution of MMF or a 1% (v/v) solution of MMB was used as a malodorous solution. . Antagonist solutions were 1% (v/v) solutions of either acetylcedrene or florhydral. Acetylcedrene and fluorohydral were the same as those used in Examples. Mineral oil was used as the solvent in all solutions. Two cotton balls were placed in a glass vial (wide mouth standard bottle No. 11 #85-0611), one cotton ball was soaked with 20 μL of either of the malodorous solutions, and the other cotton ball was soaked with the antagonist solution. Either was impregnated with 20 μL. The glass vial containing the cotton ball was capped and allowed to stand at 37° C. for 1 hour before being used as a test sample for a sensory test. As a reference sample, a vial impregnated with 20 μL of mineral oil instead of the antagonist solution was prepared.
A sensory test was conducted by three evaluators. Testing was done near a fume hood to prevent odor diffusion. Odor evaluation of test samples was performed according to the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). That is, the evaluator sniffed the sample, and entered the strength of the odor of MMF or MMB at an arbitrary point on the evaluation axis, with the left end being "No odor" and the right end being "Strong odor". The evaluator first rated the odor of the reference sample and then the test sample. The evaluator then evaluated the odor of the reference sample again. The distance from the evaluation point on the evaluation axis of each sample to the left end was calculated as the odor intensity of each sample. Considering the decrease in odor intensity due to olfactory adaptation, the average value of the above two evaluation results was used as the odor intensity of the reference sample. Taking the odor intensity of the reference sample as 100%, the relative value (%) of the odor intensity of each test sample was calculated.

2) Evaluation The evaluation results of the sensory test are shown in FIG. It was found that both acetylcedrene and florhydral, which are antagonist perfumes to OR2M3, have an effect of suppressing MMF or MMB odor. Therefore, in the cat urine disposal tool of the present invention, one or both of acetylcedrene and florhydral are arranged, thereby effectively suppressing the cat urine odor caused by MMF and MMB in particular. Recognize.

Next, the following Test Examples 4 to 6 were used to evaluate antagonist perfumes against olfactory receptor responses caused by isovaleric acid.
First, according to Test Example 4 below, an olfactory receptor that recognizes isovaleric acid, another major malodorous substance in cat urine odor components, was identified.
[Test Example 4] Concentration-dependent response of OR51I2 to isovaleric acid 1) Preparation of OR51I2-expressing cells Similar to OR2M3 in Test Example 1, based on the sequence information registered in GenBank, one of the human olfactory receptors A gene encoding OR51I2 was cloned to generate OR51I2-expressing cells. A reaction solution having the composition shown in Table 2 was prepared and allowed to stand in a clean bench for 15 minutes. After that, the reaction solution was added to each well of a multiwell plate (96-well plate, BioCoat), and then 100 μL of HEK293 cells (3×10 ⁵ cells/cm ² ) were added to seed the cells. Cells were then cultured for 24 hours in an incubator at 37° C. and 5% CO ₂ . As a control, cells (mock) that do not express the receptor were prepared.

2) Response of OR51I2-expressing cells to isovaleric acid The medium was removed from the receptor-expressing cell culture after culturing for 24 hours, and 75 µL of a medium containing or not containing a malodorous substance was added to each well. Measurements were taken after 4 hours according to the manufacturer's operating manual. CD293 (Invitrogen) was used as the medium here. Isovaleric acid was used as the malodorous substance.
The cells were cultured in a _CO2 incubator for 4 hours to fully express the luciferase gene in the cells. Luciferase activity was measured using Dual-Glo ^™ luciferase assay system (manufactured by Promega) according to the product's operation manual. The value obtained by dividing the luminescence value derived from firefly luciferase induced by malodorous substance stimulation by the luminescence value in cells not stimulated with malodorous substance was calculated as fold increase and used as an index of response intensity.
3) Evaluation FIG. 10 shows the results of examining the response of OR51I2 to isovaleric acid (0, 3, 10, 30, 100, 300 and 1000 μM). From the results shown in FIG. 10, a concentration-dependent response to isovaleric acid was observed in cells expressing OR51I2. These results indicate that OR51I2 is a receptor that recognizes isovaleric acid, which is a major malodorous substance in cat urine odor components.

Next, in Test Example 5 below, the ability of acetylcedrene and fluorohydral to suppress the response to OR51I2 identified in Test Example 4 was confirmed.
[Test Example 5] Inhibitory activity of OR51I2 response by acetylcedrene and furorhydral 1) Test method Test Example 4 except that the final concentration of isovaleric acid was fixed and the test substance was added to the medium added to each well. 2), luciferase assay of OR51I2-expressing HEK293 cells was performed. The final concentration of isovaleric acid was 1 mM, and acetylcedrene or fluorohydral was used as the test substance. A concentration of 100 μM for acetylcedrene and 300 μM for florhydral was used. Acetylcedrene and fluorohydral were the same as those used in Examples.
The response intensity of the receptor to isovaleric acid in the presence of the test substance was determined in the same manner as in Test Example 2. fLuc/hRluc values induced by isovaleric acid alone stimulation (X), fLuc/hRluc values in cells not stimulated with isovaleric acid (Y), and isovaleric acid with any test substance. The fLuc/hRluc value (Z) induced by co-stimulation was determined, and the response intensity was calculated using the following formula. For measurements, independent experiments were performed multiple times in duplicate, and the average value for each experiment was obtained.
Response (%) = (Z-Y) / (X-Y) x 100
2) Evaluation As a result, costimulation with acetylcedrene suppressed the response intensity of OR51I2 to 39.29%, and costimulation with florhydral suppressed it to 2.17%. In other words, it was suggested that these test substances have antagonist activity to suppress receptor activity of OR51I2.

Then, using the antagonist perfumes acetylcedrene and florhydral identified in Test Example 5, the effect of suppressing isovaleric acid odor was confirmed in Test Example 6 below.
[Test Example 6] Suppressive effect of isovaleric acid odor by antagonist perfume 1) Sensory test A cotton ball is placed in a glass bottle (No. 11 manufactured by Kashiwa Glass Co., Ltd., capacity 110 mL), and isovaleric acid is diluted 1000 times with propylene glycol. 20 μL of the malodorous solution and the antagonist solution were dropped on the cotton ball. The vial was allowed to stand overnight at room temperature to sufficiently volatilize the odorant molecules into the vial. As the antagonist solution, acetylcedrene or fluorohydral diluted 100-fold with propylene glycol was used. Acetylcedrene and fluorohydral were the same as those used in Examples. The sensory evaluation test was performed by 4 or 5 evaluators, and when the same test was performed using a cotton ball to which 20 μL of the malodorous solution was dropped alone, the odor intensity was set to 5, and the antagonist solution was mixed. The strength of the odor was evaluated on a 21-point scale from 0 to 10 (in increments of 0.5).
2) Evaluation The results of the sensory test are shown in FIG. It was found that both acetylcedrene and florhydral, which are antagonist perfumes against OR51I2, have an effect of suppressing isovaleric acid odor. Therefore, it can be seen that the cat urine disposal tool of the present invention can effectively suppress the cat urine odor caused by isovaleric acid by containing one or both of acetylcedrene and fluorohydral. .

Next, according to Test Example 7 below, antibacterial properties against bacteria having urease activity were evaluated.
[Test Example 3]
1) Preparation of Test Specimens Each member of the sample of Example 1 was changed as follows, and each test specimen was prepared by disposing the perfume or antibacterial agent shown in Table 3. The perfume was supported on silica and added to superabsorbent polymer 47 . Further, the perfume was added so that the amount of perfume applied to the sample was 0.3% by mass. The antibacterial agent was also supported on silica, and the silica was added to the superabsorbent polymer 47 in the same manner as the perfume. The antibacterial agent was added in an amount of 0.1% by mass relative to the sample. Duplicates of each sample were made.

2) Evaluation of antibacterial properties Brevundimonas intermedia and Sporosarcina ureae were sown in a medium and grown. The bacterial flora was drawn from the medium and dispersed in physiological saline to obtain a bacterial stock solution. The number of bacteria was adjusted from the turbidity of the bacterial stock solution to obtain an adjusted solution. 1 mL of the prepared solution was added to 100 mL of sterilized urine, and this was used as a cat urine sample.
7 mL of cat urine sample was added to the specimen prepared in 1) above, and cultured at 30° C. for 48 hours. After that, 63 mL of physiological saline was added to the incubator of the specimen and stirred, and the supernatant was appropriately diluted and sprinkled on the culture medium. The medium on which the supernatant was spread was cultured at 30° C. for 48 hours, and the number of bacteria was counted. Table 3 shows the results.

As shown in Table 3, furorhydral, didecyldimethylammonium chloride and piroctone olamine were found to have antimicrobial activity against Brevundimonas intermedia and Sporosarcina ureae. Therefore, by including one or more selected from florhydral, didecyldimethylammonium chloride and piroctone olamine as an antibacterial agent, the cat urine disposal tool is extremely strong due to the action of bacteria having urease activity. It can be seen that generation of ammonia having an irritating odor can be suppressed, and cat urine odor can be suppressed more effectively.

1 cat urine disposal tool 2 surface sheet 3 back sheet 4 absorber 44 core wrap sheet 46 liquid absorbent material 47 super absorbent polymer 10 cat toilet 15 tray housing section 16 tray 30 partition section 31 liquid passage section 32 excrement processing material A Upper part B Lower part

Claims (7)

An antagonist fragrance that inhibits the activation of human olfactory receptors caused by thiol derived from cat urine and the activation of human olfactory receptors caused by isovaleric acid is arranged,
The cat urine disposal tool, wherein the antagonist perfume is either one or both of acetylcedrene and florhydral. Contains an antibacterial agent against bacteria with urease activity,
2. The cat urine disposal tool according to claim 1, wherein the antibacterial agent comprises either one or both of florhydral and piroctone olamine. The cat urine disposal tool according to claim 1 or 2, which is in the form of a sheet comprising a top sheet, a back sheet, and an absorbent material disposed between the top sheet and the back sheet. 4. The cat urine disposal tool according to claim 3, wherein said antagonist perfume is applied to one or both of the surface of said top sheet and said absorber on the side of said top sheet. The absorbent body comprises an absorbent core and a core wrap sheet covering the absorbent core,
5. The cat urine disposal tool according to claim 3 or 4, wherein said antagonist perfume is applied to a portion of said core wrap sheet covering the surface side of said absorbent core. Contains an antibacterial agent against bacteria with urease activity,
the antibacterial agent comprises either or both of florhydral and piroctone olamine;
The cat urine disposal tool according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein said antibacterial agent is arranged in said absorber. A cat litter box comprising a partition section that divides a litter box body into an upper layer portion and a lower layer portion,
The partition part has a drain-like liquid-permeable part,
Granular excreta disposal material is arranged in the upper layer,
The cat urine disposal tool according to any one of claims 1 to 6 is arranged in the lower layer portion,
A litter box for cats, wherein the excreta disposal material contains a component that inhibits activation of human olfactory receptors caused by thiols derived from cat urine.

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