JPH03275052A - Medical examination container and examination utensil - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide transparency, heat resistance, chemical resistance, hygroscopicity resistance and sterilizing properties by forming an examination container from a thermoplastic saturated norbornene polymer having specific light transmissivity and specific glass transition temp. CONSTITUTION:A thermoplastic saturated norbornene polymer to be used is a saturated polymer having a structural unit represented by general formula [I] (wherein R1 and R2 are hydrogen or a 1-10C hydrocarbon residue and may be same or different and may mutually form a ring and (n) is a positive integer) and prepared by using, for example, norbornene or 5-methyl-2-norbornene as a monomer to subject the same to ring opening polymerization and hydrogenating the obtained ring-opened polymer, and the light transmissivity thereof is 85% or more and the glass transmission temp. thereof is 100 deg.C or higher. This polymer is also excellent in transparency, heat resistance and chemical resistance and, when a medical examination container is prepared from this polymer and subjected to various experimental sterilizing operations, no deformation or loss of clarity is generated and steam sterilization can be performed in a medium-containing state and, since this container is excellent in chemical resistance, by aseptically packing the container having testing reagent such as medium contained therein after sterilization, the container can be used by merely opening a lid.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to medical test containers and test tools, and more specifically, to medical test containers and tools that have transparency, heat resistance, chemical resistance, moisture absorption resistance, and sterilization. The present invention relates to a test container and a sterilized test tool containing a test reagent using the test container.

[Prior Art] In laboratory departments of hospitals, urine and blood samples are collected and the samples are analyzed. Spitz tubes and test tubes are used to collect urine and blood, and petri dishes (culture dishes) are used to measure the growth of collected cells and bacteria. Medical test containers such as spitz tubes, test tubes, and petri dishes are
It is made of glass or various plastics, etc.
Particularly in recent years, disposable products made of plastic have come into widespread use.

These test containers are required to be able to visually check the contents of medical solutions and body fluids from the outside, and since hemolytic properties are determined by measuring absorbance using test tubes, they are generally highly transparent. is required. moreover,
It is required to have properties such as impact resistance, chemical resistance, and sterilizability.

In addition, medical instruments such as test containers are mainly disposable products that must be opened and used in order to prevent bacterial and viral infections in hospitals, but such disposable products must be sterile. , be manufactured from safe materials, have good operability, and be economical.

Plastics such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polycarbonate, and polystyrene are used as materials for various disposable instruments, including medical test containers. Each of them has its own problems, such as some cases of plasticizer elution.

It is essential for these test containers to be sterile, and when performing steam sterilization, high-pressure steam sterilization using an autoclave, or dry heat sterilization in the laboratory at the testing site, heat-resistant Insufficient containers will deform, and hygroscopic containers will lose their transparency. The ethylene oxide gas sterilization method and the gamma ray sterilization method have problems such as the strong toxicity of ethylene oxide and changes in the material due to the gamma rays, and are difficult to carry out in a laboratory at the site of inspection.

For example, when measuring bacteria, currently a culture medium such as agar and a Petri dish are sterilized separately, and the medium is transferred to the Petri dish in a clean bench using aseptic operations.

If steam sterilization or the like can be performed after putting a culture medium into a petri dish, sterilization can be easily performed in a laboratory without requiring complicated operations. However, disposable petri dishes made of polycarbonate are commercially available in sterilized form, but since polycarbonate is hygroscopic, if steam sterilization is performed after adding a culture medium, the transparency will be lost.

In addition, if sterilized and sealed test tools containing test reagents such as culture media could be created, it would be possible to perform measurements such as bacteria without having to perform troublesome sterilization procedures just by opening the test tools. It is not possible to make such test tools with polycarbonate petri dishes or the like, which have insufficient properties, because cracks occur due to the test reagents contained therein.

On the other hand, glass petri dishes and test tubes have poor impact resistance, so they must be handled with care and cannot be safely disposed of.

By the way, thermoplastic saturated norbornene polymers such as hydrogenated ring-opening polymers of norbornene monomers and addition copolymers of norbornene monomers and ethylene have excellent characteristics as optical materials including lens materials. However, JP-A-60-26024, JP-A-64-24826, JP-A-60-168708, JP-A-61-115912, JP-A-61-
This method is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent No. 120816. However, the use of these polymers in medical test containers and the like is not known.

(The following is a blank space) [Problems to be Solved by the Invention] An object of the present invention is to provide a medical test container that has transparency, heat resistance, chemical resistance, moisture absorption resistance, and sterilization.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a sterilized test tool containing a test reagent using the test container.

As a result of intensive research to solve the problems of the conventional technology, the present inventors discovered that the thermoplastic saturated norbornene-based polymer has excellent transparency, heat resistance, chemical resistance, etc. When we created a test container, we found that it had excellent characteristics as a disposable test container, and
It was discovered that there is no deformation or devitrification even when laboratory steam sterilization, high-pressure steam sterilization, or dry heat sterilization is performed, and that sterilization operations can be simplified, such as by adding a culture medium and performing steam sterilization. Ta.

In addition, thermoplastic saturated norbornene-based polymers have excellent chemical resistance, so it is possible to sterilize test reagents such as culture media in a container made of the polymer, sterilize it, and then seal the lid for aseptic packaging. We have discovered that it is possible to create medical testing tools that can be used at the testing site by simply opening the lid without requiring any troublesome preliminary operations.

The present invention has been completed based on these findings.

(Means for Solving the Problems) According to the present invention, there is provided a medical test comprising a container made of a thermoplastic saturated norbornene polymer and having a light transmittance of 85% or more. A container is provided.

Further, according to the present invention, there is provided a medical test tool, characterized in that a test reagent is contained in a test container made of a thermoplastic saturated norbornene polymer, and the opening of the test container is hermetically sealed with a lid. is provided.

The present invention will be explained in detail below.

(Norbornene Polymer) Specific examples of the thermoplastic saturated norbornene polymer used in the present invention include polymers having structural units represented by the following general formulas [I] and/or [nl].

General formula [I] (In the formula, R3 and R2 are hydrogen or a hydrocarbon residue having 1 to 10 carbon atoms, and may be the same or different, and R and R2 mutually form a ring. n is a positive integer), and/general formula [1] (wherein, R8 and R4 are hydrogen or a carbonized The hydrogen residues may be the same or different, and R, !3 and R4 may mutually form a ring. i and m are positive integers, and p is 0 or a positive integer. ) The polymer having a structural unit represented by general formula CI] includes, as monomers, for example, norbornene and its alkyl and/or alkylidene substituted products, such as 5-methyl-2-norbornene, 5 .6
-Simethyl-2-norbornene, 5-ethyl-2-norbornene, 5-butyl-2-norbornene, 5-ethylidene-2-norbornene, etc.; dicyclopentadiene, 2
．． 3-dihydrodicyclopentadiene and their alkyls such as methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl! Substitution: Dimethanooctahydronaphthalene and its alkyl and/or alkylidene substituted products, such as 6-methyl-1,4:5,8-dimethano-1°4.4a, 5,
6,7,8,8a-octahydronaphthalene, 6-ethyl-1,4:5,8-dimethano-1,4,4a,5,6
,7,8,8a-octahydronaphthalene, 6-nitylidene-1゜4:5,8-dimethano-feng 4,4a,5,
6゜7.8.8a-octahydronaphthalene etc.; cyclopentadiene trimer-tetramer, for example 4.9:5.8-
Dimethano-3a, 4.4a, 5,8°8a, 9,9a-
Octahydro-IH-benzoindene, 5.8-methano-3a, 4.4a, 5°8.8a, 9.9a-octahydride l:1-IH-benzoindene, 5.8-methano-1
, 4, 4a.

4b,5,8.8a,9b-octahydro-IH-fluorene, 4,11 :5,10:6,9-trimethano-
3a, 4, 4a, 5, 5a, 6.9°9a, 10, 10
A saturated polymer produced by hydrogenating a ring-opening polymer obtained by polymerizing a, 11,1la-dodecahydro-IH-cyclopentaanthracene, etc. by a known ring-opening polymerization method using a conventional hydrogenation method. It is a polymer.

In addition, the polymer having a structural unit represented by the general formula [nl] is a polymer obtained by copolymerizing the above-mentioned norbornene monomer and ethylene by a known method as a monomer, and/or its hydrogen. Both additives are saturated polymers.

From the viewpoint of heat resistance, these polymers preferably have a glass transition temperature of 100°C or higher, more preferably 12°C or higher.
It is desirable that the temperature is 0 to 200"C5, particularly preferably 130 to 180"C.

The molecular weight range was determined by GPC using cyclohexane as a solvent (
The number average molecular weight measured by gel permeation chromatography (gel permeation chromatography) analysis is 10,000 to 100,000, preferably 2.
~50,000.

Further, when unsaturated bonds remaining in the molecular chain are saturated by hydrogenation, the hydrogenation rate is 90% or more, preferably 95% or more, particularly preferably 99% or more. By being a saturated polymer, weather deterioration resistance, light deterioration resistance, etc. are improved.

In addition, the thermoplastic saturated norbornene-based polymer may be Polymer [I]! within a range that does not impair the purpose of the present invention. In the manufacturing process of 3 and [I[], other monomer components such as α-olefin and cycloolefin may be copolymerized.

(Test Container) In the present invention, the thermoplastic saturated norbornene-based polymer is used to form a medical test container using a normal melt processing method such as injection molding.

The shape, size, etc. of the test container can be determined as needed and are not particularly limited, and specific examples include a spitz tube, a test tube, and a petri dish.

The test container of the present invention has excellent transparency with a light transmittance of 85% or more, preferably 90% or more. here,
The light transmittance is a value determined according to JIS K6717.

Although the test container of the present invention is useful as a sterilized disposable product, it does not deform or devitrify even if it is steam sterilized at the testing site, so it can be easily used in the laboratory after filling with a culture medium, for example. sterilization treatment can be performed.

(Test Tool) The test tool of the present invention is a test container made of a thermoplastic saturated norbornene polymer, in which a test reagent such as a culture medium is placed, and the opening is sealed with a lid.

By performing sterilization treatment and sterile packaging in advance, for example,
It can be used as a culture dish for bacterial measurement or cell growth by simply opening the container, such as a sterilized petri dish containing a medium.

As the lid, it is preferable to use a film-like material having good moisture resistance, gas barrier property, oil resistance, light shielding property, heat resistance, etc., such as aluminum foil or aluminum vapor-deposited film.

The test container of the present invention has not only heat resistance but also chemical resistance.
Because it has excellent moisture absorption resistance, it does not lose transparency or develop cracks during sterilization or storage.

〔Example〕

EXAMPLES The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to Examples, Reference Examples, and Comparative Examples, but the present invention is not limited only to the Examples.

[Example 1] 6-ethyl-1,4:5.8-dimethano-1°4.4a
, 5,6,7,8.8a-octahydronaphthalene (E
A hydrogenated ring-opening polymer of TD) [molecular weight 28,000, hydrogenation rate approximately 100%, glass transition temperature 145°C 1] was injection molded to a thickness of 1 mm, a diameter of 70 mm, and a side wall height of 15 mm.
A Petri dish of mm size was prepared.

The light transmittance of this petri dish was 91%.

In addition, using this Petri dish, 115℃, 0.7kic
m-' 30 minutes of high-pressure steam sterilization and 30 minutes of boiling sterilization in boiling water resulted in no deformation or loss of transparency.

[Example 2] A thioglycolic acid medium was placed in the petri dish obtained in Example 1, and after steam sterilization, the opening was sealed with aluminum foil by heat fusion.

When the product was opened after being stored at room temperature for 10 days, it remained sterile, and no loss of transparency or cracking was observed.

For comparison, when a commercially available polycarbonate shear was similarly treated, it was confirmed that many cracks had occurred.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the present invention, a medical test container having transparency, heat resistance, chemical resistance, moisture absorption resistance, and sterilizability is provided.

Further, according to the present invention, a sterilized test tool containing a test reagent using the test container is provided.

Claims (4)

[Claims] (1) A medical test container made of a thermoplastic saturated norbornene polymer, characterized in that it has a light transmittance of 85% or more. (2) The medical test container according to claim 1, wherein the thermoplastic saturated norbornene polymer has a glass transition temperature of 100°C or higher. (3) A medical test tool, characterized in that the test container according to claim 1 or 2 contains a test reagent, and the opening of the test container is hermetically sealed with a lid. (4) The medical testing tool according to claim 3, which is previously aseptically packaged and sterilized.