Production method of nasal drop composition, and nasal drop composition

Abstract

Provided are: a method for producing a nasal drop composition suitable for treatment or prevention of a disease or symptom in the nasal cavities; and a nasal drop composition produced by the production method. The nasal drop composition production method characterized by including a mixing step of mixing earthworm castings with water and a collecting step of collecting vaporized water generated from a mixture obtained in the mixing step to obtain a liquid; and the nasal drop composition produced by the production method. It is preferred to further mix an organic substance together with the earthworm castings and the water in the mixing step.

Claims

1. A method of treating or preventing a disease or symptom in a nasal cavity, comprising administering a nasal drop composition produced by a production method comprising: mixing earthworm castings with water to obtain a mixture; and collecting vaporized water generated from the mixture to obtain a liquid as the nasal drop composition.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the mixing further comprises mixing an organic substance together with the earthworm castings and the water.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the organic substance is a wood material.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the production method further comprises diluting the liquid with water to obtain the nasal drop composition.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the disease or symptom in the nasal cavity is pollinosis or empyema.

Description

EXAMPLES

(1) Hereinbelow, the present invention will be described more specifically with reference to Examples. However, the present invention is not intended to be limited by Examples below. In Examples below, “percent (%)” is by mass unless otherwise specified.

(2) (Aqueous Organic Substance Decomposition Product)

(3) Forty liters of water was introduced into a reaction vessel containing 40 kg of earthworm Lumbricus rubellus castings and 15 kg of a wood material (Japanese cedar) (5 kg of woodchips and 10 kg of a blend of wood dusts and rice hulls), and then vaporized water was collected by a dehumidifier (DM-30, manufactured by Nakatomi Corporation) attached to the reaction vessel for about 1 day while stirring to obtain 15 to 20 L of a liquid. Ten to twenty liters of water was further added to the reaction vessel, then 10 kg of a wood material (Japanese cedar) (5 kg of woodchips and 5 kg of a blend of wood dusts and rice hulls) was added thereto, and then vaporized water was collected by the dehumidifier for about 1 day in the same manner to obtain 15 to 20 L of a liquid. About 40 L of a liquid (pH 8.71) prepared by mixing the obtained liquids was used as an aqueous organic substance decomposition product.

(4) In the production of the above-described aqueous organic substance decomposition product, the water used was water prepared by purifying tap water with an SPG (Shirasu porous glass) permeable membrane (SPG Technology Co., Ltd.) and activated carbon.

(5) (Earthworm Extract)

(6) After leaving for 24 hours in a light place, 30 kg of living Lumbricus rubellus of which dirt was peeled from the skins were spread out to about 5 cm in the thickness on a flat plate, and 250 g of sodium chloride was evenly sprinkled on top of the earthworms. After 20 minutes, the earthworms were washed with water. Thereafter, 250 g of citric acid was sprinkled on the earthworms in the same manner, and then the citric acid was diluted by adding 30 liters of pure water in 15 seconds. At this time, the pH immediately after addition of water was 2.25, and the pH when completely diluted was 2.74. When sprinkled with citric acid powder, the earthworms released yellow body fluid at once. After the dilution of the citric acid with water, the earthworms were kept for 20 minutes in that state. Subsequently, the living earthworms were taken out from the soiled citric acid aqueous solution, washed with water, and milled at 10° C. using a homogenizer to prepare an earthworm paste. Next, after sucking and deaerating the earthworm paste to remove a gas contained therein, the earthworm paste was then placed on a stainless steel tray, instantaneously cooled to −35° C., and gradually frozen for 50 hours while maintaining this temperature. The frozen earthworm paste was kept at −35° C. and 0 Pa for 2 hours, the temperature was then raised to 25° C. at 40 Pa for 10 hours, the temperature was then raised to 40° C. at 35 Pa for 14 hours, the temperature was then raised to 65° C. at 35 Pa for 12 hours, and finally, the temperature was raised to 80° C. at 25 Pa for 6 hours to perform vacuum freeze drying. By this treatment, light yellow dry earthworm powder having a water content of 8% by mass was obtained.

(7) 25 g of the dry earthworm powder obtained as above was sampled, 500 mL of distilled water was added thereto, and the mixture was stirred at room temperature for 1 hour and extracted. The obtained extract was centrifuged (10,000×g, 4° C., 15 minutes), and a supernatant was collected to obtain an earthworm extract. The obtained earthworm extract was finely pulverized with a freeze vacuum dryer, sampled by 30 mg, and diluted with 500 mL of distilled water to obtain a stock solution.

(8) (Nasal Drop Composition)

(9) The aqueous organic substance decomposition product obtained above was diluted 5 times with water. The water used for the dilution was water prepared by purifying tap water with an SPG (Shirasu porous glass) permeable membrane (SPG Technology Co., Ltd.) and activated carbon.

(10) The diluted aqueous organic substance decomposition product and the diluted stock solution of the earthworm extract obtained above were mixed at a ratio of 1,000:1 and passed through a 0.2 μm filter to obtain a nasal drop composition.

Example 1

(11) <Pollinosis 1>

(12) The symptoms of pollinosis of the subject below who was sprayed in the nasal cavities with the nasal drop composition obtained above in the form of mist 6 to 10 times per day, 2 to 5 sprays per application using a commercially available nasal irrigation spray on a daily basis were observed. Subject: Female, 22 years old, disease duration: 2 years. After 3 days, runny nose and tears decreased. After 7 days, runny nose and tears stopped. After 15 days, pain of pollinosis alleviated. After 30 days, cured.

Example 2

(13) <Pollinosis 2>

(14) The symptoms of pollinosis of the subject below who was sprayed in the nasal cavities with the nasal drop composition obtained above in the form of mist 6 to 10 times per day, 2 to 5 sprays per application using a commercially available nasal irrigation spray on a daily basis were observed. Subject: Male, 52 years old, disease duration: 15 years. After 7 days, runny nose and eye itching decreased. After 14 days, runny nose and itching disappeared. After 25 days, the symptoms improved. After 30 days, the symptoms disappeared.

Example 3

(15) <Empyema 1>

(16) The symptoms of empyema of the subject below who was sprayed in the nasal cavities with the nasal drop composition obtained above in the form of mist 6 to 10 times per day, 2 to 5 sprays per application using a commercially available nasal irrigation spray on a daily basis were observed. Subject: Male, 18 years old, disease duration: 2 months, yellow runny nose. After 7 days, amount and color of runny nose decreased. After 10 days, runny nose stopped. After 25 days, stuffy nose cleared, and the empyema cured.

Example 4

(17) <Empyema 2>

(18) The symptoms of empyema of the subject below who was sprayed in the nasal cavities with the nasal drop composition obtained above in the form of mist 6 to 10 times per day, 2 to 5 sprays per application using a commercially available nasal irrigation spray on a daily basis were observed. Subject: Female, 15 years old, disease duration: 1 month. After 3 days, runny nose decreased. After 7 days, runny nose stopped. After 15 days, stuffy nose cleared, and the empyema cured.

(19) As shown in Examples 1 to 4, it was confirmed that a nasal drop composition suitable for treating or preventing a disease or symptom in the nasal cavities can be produced by collecting evaporated water generated from a mixture of earthworm castings and water.