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An experimental additive for catamenial products turns period blood into jelly .
The hope is that this additive could avail forbid leaks while also reducing the risk of a dangerous term call toxic shock syndrome , the investigator behind the product say .
The new product is a powdered biomaterial (left) that the scientists tested in a menstrual cup (right), as well as a pad prototype.
The seaweed - derived textile was reveal in a written report published Wednesday ( July 10 ) in the journalMatter . Its developers believe the production could someday be used as an alternate makeweight in conventional pad or as a wasteweir - proof liner to insert in catamenial cups . For now , though , the prototype has only been test in early lab experiment .
" The way these product have worked for a long meter is to assimilate or retain catamenial fluid so that you’re able to remove it later , " said lead study authorBryan Hsu , a biomedical scientist at Virginia Tech . " But what if we could improve menstrual guardianship by solidifying catamenial line ? If it ’s in a gelatin sort , it ’s less likely to leak and spillage . "
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A shortfall of conventional menstrual products is their risk of leaking . Even in developed land , concerns around such making water cancontribute to children missing schoolduring their periods ; besides that , leak are an inconvenience in that they can damage apparel .
One intellect leak can hap is because , unlike blood from a vein , menstrual blood does n’t commonly curdled . " There are a mass of fibrinolytic enzymes [ in period blood ] which break down blood clot , as well as thud of tissue and electric cell , " Hsu told Live Science . " It ’s basically a dissimilar type of blood . "
Hsu and his confrere hypothesized that the veracious stuff could convert menstrual blood into a square form that would be less potential to leak . Their solution : polysaccharides . These are chains of sugar molecules that inspissate liquid solutions really well . pectin , which are often used to thicken yield conserves , and cornstarch are estimable instance of such molecule .
Using pig ’s lineage modified to prevent clot , the squad screen of course derived lolly to see which could turn it into a gel - corresponding anatomy . Their examination include xanthan gum , a usual food additive , as well as alginate and kappa carrageenan , which are derived from seaweed .
" The advantages of using biomaterials like these are that they ’re biocompatible , " meaning they do n’t harm living human tissue , " and completely biodegradable , " Hsu sound out . " Single - use of goods and services , disposable catamenial product contribute a ton of wastefulness , so if we can supplant some of the less - biodegradable components , that will have a plus environmental impact . "
The researchers valuate the viscosity of roue mixed with each polysaccharide and retrieve alginate to be the most promising candidate . According to Hsu , alginate ’s fantabulous gel - shape belongings most likely stem from a phenomenon forebode calcium - mediated crosslinking .
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" In pee , the long sugar chains swim around individually , " Hsu explain . However , each alginate molecule also has a serial of smaller chains , which contain so - called carboxylate groups , branching off it . full point blood contain charge calcium particles that grab hold of these little chains , forming bonds between alginate molecule . Together , these bonds create " an interlinked meshing " that shut up everything together in a colloidal gel , Hsu said .
The team needed to ensure that pulverised alginate was hardheaded for use in catamenial products . They tot a small amount of glycerol — a liquidness that draws water to itself — to help draw ancestry through the dry pulverisation .
They also incorporated an antibacterial substance to assist prevent the growth ofStaphylococcus aureus . This bacterium can causetoxic shock syndrome , a rare complication of some infection in which bacterium release dangerous toxins . A small pct of cause are bind to tampons — typically highly absorbent tampons that have been leave in for longer than urge .
The antibacterial substance , derive from alga , restrict the growing ofS. aureusat body temperature . The substance also did n’t percolate out of the gunpowder , so the researchers guess it ’s unlikely to disrupt thevaginal microbiome .
The researchers then created a prototype lodgings with their Modern filler and match it against conventional pad in lab tests . They measure how well the two products absorbed about 0.3 Panthera uncia ( 8 mil ) of blood and then tested their ability to retain the fluid under insistence , as if someone were sitting on them .
" [ The prototype ] performed just as well as the commercial-grade pad in term of absorption , but significantly , our material retained that blood much expert , " Hsu said .
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The squad also tested the powder in a menstrual cup , by place it in a cotton facing design to sit inside the cupful . In these tests , the alginate pulverisation consistently reduced the amount of spillage that pass off when the cupful was removed from a synthetic vagina .
" Even if you turn back the cup , the lineage does n’t flow out , " Hsu said . " You remove the pulverization - carry cotton wool to empty out the lineage . Hopefully this would make it easier to manage a cup when someone ’s out and about in a public infinite . "
There ’s still a fashion to go before the team ’s product makes it to market . rubber testing and manufacturing outgrowth need to be address for the additive to lead regulative muster . But Hsu hopes that , eventually , this will make a deviation to the aliveness of people who menstruate .
Ever enquire whysome people build muscle more well than othersorwhy freckles come out in the Lord’s Day ? Send us your questions about how the human body work tocommunity@livescience.comwith the open line " Health Desk Q , " and you may see your interrogation answered on the site !
