SURFACE STERILISATION BY MISTING WITH A BIOFLAVANOID SOLUTION

Abstract

There is described a method of sterilizing surfaces using flavanoids, for example mixtures containing inter alia naringin and neohesperidin, by misting.

Claims

1-25. (canceled)

26. A method of sterilising a surface comprising misting the surface with a naringin solution optionally wherein the surface is within a hospital, ambulance, home, mortuary, gym, changing room, school, public transport, or nursing home.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the naringin solution comprises 50-65% by weight of a mixture of bioflavonoids wherein the mixture of bioflavonoids comprises at least 25% by weight neohesperidin optionally wherein the mixture of bioflavonoids comprises HPLC-45.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the misting of the naringin solution results in a mist in the form of droplets ranging between 0.5-5μ in size.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the narigin solution comprises 0.5-7.5% by weight of the mixture of bioflavonoids.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the narigin solution comprises a pharmaceutically acceptable salt of chlorine.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein the narigin solution further comprises a non-ionic surfactant.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the narigin solution further comprises a thickening agent.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the thickening agent is a polysaccharide thickening agent.

34. The method of claim 26, wherein the misting comprises dispersing a mist from a misting device.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the misting device is a hand-held misting device or a wall mounted mister.

36. The method of claim 34, wherein the misting device is a dry misting device.

37. The method of claim 26, wherein the misting comprises dispersing a mist from a wall mounted mister or a hand-held misting device for sterilising in a domestic situation.

38. A method of reducing bacterial count or external parasites on a person or their clothing, which comprises misting said person or clothing with a mist of a naringin solution.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein the naringin solution comprises a mixture of bioflavonoids wherein the mixture of bioflavonoids comprises 50-65% by weight naringin and at least 25% by weight neohesperidin.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein the mist comprises droplets of ranging between 0.5-5μ in size.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein the narigin solution further comprises a non-ionic surfactant and a polysaccharide thickening agent.

42. The method of claim 39, wherein the mixture of bioflavonoids comprises HPLC-45.

43. The method of claim 26 wherein the surface is within an ambulance, which can be occupied or reoccupied promptly after misting the surface.

Description

EXAMPLE 1

[0048] Water was added to a beaker and stirring commenced. Keltrol CG-SFT (9.0 g; 1.8%) was added and stirring continued until dissolved. Citrox HXT powder (2.5 g; 0.5%) was added and stirring continued until dissolved. Glycerol (5.0 g; 1.0%) was added and stirring continued until dissolved. (The water was sufficient to make up to 100%).

[0049] The resulting viscous gel was de-aerated. The pH was 4-5. The viscosity 7000-10000 cp at 20° C. (spindle 4/0 rpm). The pH may be adjusted with citric acid if required to bring it within the stated range.

[0050] Citrox HXT powder comprises on a wt/wt basis 7.5% HPLC 45%, citric acid 30%, willow bark extract 50% and Olea Europeae extract 12.5%.

[0051] HPLC-45% contained 45% by weight of a mixed of flavanoids together with residues of extraction from bitter oranges.

[0052] The mixture of flavanoids in HPLC-45 comprises:

TABLE-US-00001 % in HPLC 45 (bioflavonoid Bioflavonoid component + biomass) Neoeriocitrin 1.1 Isonaringin 1.2 Naringin 23.4 Hesperidin 1.4 Neohesperidin 12.5 Neodiosmin 1.4 Naringenin 1.5 Poncirin 2.0 Other 0.5 (Rhiofolin) Total 45% of HPLC 45

EXAMPLE 2

[0053] Water was added to a beaker and stirring commenced. Keltrol CG-SFT (9 g, 1.8%), Plantacare 2000 (67.8 g, 13.6%), Tego Betain F50 (10 g, 2%), glycerol (10 g, 2%) and Citrox HXT powder were sequentially added with stirring until complete dissolution occurred prior to adding subsequent ingredients. (The water was sufficient to make up to 100%).

[0054] The product was a clear viscous gel, pH 4.8 to 5 was a viscosity of about 4000 cp at 20° C. (spindle 4/10 rpm).

[0055] Citrox HXT powder and Keltrol CG-SFT were as described in Example 1.

[0056] Plantacare 2000 is an aqueous solution containing 6.78 g of C.sub.8-C.sub.16 fatty alcohol polyglycoside.

[0057] Tego Betain F50 is an aqueous solution containing 3.22 g of cocamidopropyl betaine.

EXAMPLE 3

[0058] This was prepared by mixing as described in Example 1.

TABLE-US-00002 Salicylic acid  0.25% Citric acid  0.15% HPLC 45% 0.0375% Betafin BP20   1.0% Glycerine   0.5% Dermosoft GMCY   1.0% Water  97.0%

EXAMPLE 4

[0059] This was prepared by mixing as described in Example 1.

TABLE-US-00003 Keltrol CG-SFT   1.7% HPLC 45% 0.0375% Citric acid  0.15% Salicylic acid  0.25% Dermosoft GMCY   1.0% Glycerine   1.0% Water  95.8%

EXAMPLE 5

[0060]

TABLE-US-00004 Keltrol CG-SFT   1.8% Plantacare 2000  13.56% Tego Betain F50  9.48% Glycerine   1.0% HPLC 45% 0.0375% Citric acid  0.15% Salicylic acid  0.25% Dermosoft GMCY   1.0% Water  72.66%

[0061] When used herein HPLC 45% means a mixture containing 45% of bioflavanoids and 55% of other matter from extraction of bitter oranges. The bioflavanoids comprised naringin (about 52%), neohesperidin 28%, poncirin (4%), naringenin (3%), hesperidin (3%), neodiosmin (3%), isonaringin (3%), isocriocrin (2%), other minor to 100%.

EXAMPLE 6

[0062] Example 5 is repeated by adding choline chloride (1.25 g; 0.25%) after the keltrol and stirring until dissolved.

EXAMPLE 7

[0063] Compositions formulated as exemplified in PCT/GB2007/002756 and PCT/GB2007/002758 are misted from a misting device.

EXAMPLE 8

[0064] Compositions 1 to 6 are misted from a misting device.

[0065] A commercial hand held misting device is used to direct mist at the surfaces in an ambulance and to the air space. The misting is continued until the operative is satisfied surfaces have been thoroughly treated.

[0066] The ambulance may be occupied twenty minutes after the completion of the misting.

EXAMPLE 9

[0067] A composition described in Example 1 was used to mist a microbiological research laboratory to reduce biological contamination. The misting was performed for three hours. If entry to the laboratory had become necessary, this would have been possible owing to the lack of significant toxicity of the mist. A conventional commercial misting device was employed.

[0068] The Nebulair was turned on each night for three hours in a sealed room over a 16 day period. A 1% aqueous solution of HPLC-45 as described in Example 1 was used between day 1 and 7 and was then increased to a 2% aqueous solution. An area of 100 cm.sup.2 was swabbed using a saturated swab and added to a sterile tube containing 3 ml maximum recovery diluent (MRD). The tubes were vortexed for 20 seconds and then left to stand for 20 minutes. The swabs were removed and 100 μl (Day 0 and Day 1) or 200 μl (Day 3, 9, 11, and 16) of MRD was spread on TSB agar plates. A clean swap was used as a control. The plates were incubated at 37° C. for 24 hours and the average number of colonies per plate was recorded.

[0069] Results:

TABLE-US-00005 Colony Forming Units (CFU) per 100 cm.sup.2 Day Day Day Day Day Day 0 1 3 9 11 16 Computer 3600 435 195 285 97.5 90 Desk 1 600 45 15 15 7.5 0 Desk 2 60 0 15 7.5 15 7.5 Desk 3 150 45 75 7.5 7.5 0 Desk 4 150 15 15 7.5 7.5 0 Under Desk 150 15 30 0 0 0 Bin 510 240 45 22.5 22.5 15 Sink 1890 570 172.5 82.5 210 127.5 Centrifuge 210 45 90 37.5 15 0 Extractor fan 255 225 15 45 15 15 Water Bath 660 90 30 22.5 22.5 7.5 Note: Bioflavanoid mixture concentration increased from 1% to 2% after day 7 Day 0 indicates contamination levels before misting treatment

EXAMPLE 10

[0070] The surface of a hospital mattress was misted with either 3% or 5% aqueous solutions of HPLC-45 (see Example 1) for 3 hours from a commercial dry misting nebulisor (Nebulair). The misting in both cases was effective in reducing the presence of multiple resistant Staphylococcus aurous to a greater extent than was achieved by the hospitals conventional treatment.