Fragrance Chemical Useful In Treating Head Lice Problems
11
Sep 2006
Poseidon
scientists discovered that the menthol derivative, menthol
propyleneglycol carbonate, is useful in eliminating lice in hair.
Cases of head lice, particularly in children, are in the
upswing in many countries. This is again worrisome for public health
and school officials now that the children are back at school. It
takes only one infected child to re-infect the entire class. The
conventional treatment involves the use of insecticides, such as
pyrethrins and pyrethroids, which cause paralysis and death to the
louse. If this fails, the next step is to use a more dangerous
chemical called malathion. But, resistance against these chemicals
have developed over the years so that insecticide resistant head
lice can now be found in parts of the US, UK and other countries.
Resistance to five different insecticides has been observed in some
strains of head lice. While there have been numerous natural
alternatives and repellents in the market to treat head lice, these
products have been ineffective in scientific studies.
Poseidon scientists, working on nontoxic approaches to
control insect pests, recently found a new use for a derivative of
menthol called menthol propyleneglycol carbonate or MR08. This
compound, commonly used in toothpastes as a cooling agent to give a
'fresh minty feeling,' turned out to be a versatile chemical with a
wide variety of other biological actions. MR-08 proved to be very
unpleasant. They actively avoid surfaces with this chemical on them.
This discovery opened the way for potential uses as nontoxic
approach to repelling mosquitoes, termites, stable flies, ants and
sand flies. More recently in children, MR-08 was discovered to keep
head lice from clinging to human hair when added to a common shampoo
enabling easy removal with the use of a fine-toothed comb. Over 90%
of the lice are removed by this treatment and complete removal
followed after continued use. This new finding is being presented at
the forthcoming Second International Conference on Applied Hair
Science (September 18-19) organized by TRI/Princeton.
The
mechanism of how MR08 affects the biology of the head louse is
currently under intensive investigation. "It certainly is not
through a toxic mechanism since the lice removed from the hair after
the MR08 shampoo remained alive but unable to re-attach back to the
hair to re-infest its host. As a GRAS ingredient (generally
recognized as safe by the US FDA), MR08, when used in a shampoo,
provides a novel, convenient and safe alternative to the use of
pesticides in the management of head lice problem in the general
population," says Jonathan R. Matias, Executive Director of Poseidon
Sciences.
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Poseidon Sciences Group is a research
and development organization in New York which focuses on the
discovery of alternative technologies to replace toxic chemicals in
current use. Initially organized to discover natural products from
the oceanic environment, the company has expanded its discovery
program in biopharmaceuticals, cosmetics and industrial
applications.
Poseidon Sciences press release
For
more information please visit: http://www.poseidosciences.com/ Poseidon
Sciences Group 122 East 42nd Street, Suite 1700 New York, NY
10168
