Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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MET110D AND APPARATUS TO REDUCE SKIN TISSUE
BACKGROUND OE THE INVENTION
1. E:ield of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus to reduce
oxidized skin tissue, and more specifically, to the method and apparatus to
electrically reduce the oxidized skin tissue. The reduction is achieved
through addition of electrons.
2. Description of the Related Art
One of the factors to cause deterioration of the skin is oxidation
of the skin tissue. VYhen the skin tissue is oxidized, its metabolic
function is damaged and the activation of the skin tissue is prevented.
Accordingly, in order to prevent the deterioration of the skin, the oxidized
skin tissue should be reduced. One of the methods to reduce the oxidized
skin tissue that has been conventionally employed is ingestion of tocopherol
(vitamin E) or ascorbic acid (vitamin C) yielding i~ vivo reducing function
as shown in a below chemical reaction formula 1.
1
:~
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_......i . ._. .. _ _~.~_ . _._ _ ._ .__... .. .... . ... .. _.-,.._ . . ..
..~. ..... __._._.
_ _ - 2~109fi4~
0 0
HO HO
I ,o I ,o
HO H ~0 H O H
HO . H L 0~ I.OOH HO H L O~ OOH HO H
CH2pH CH20H CH20H
ASCORBIC ACID ASCORBIC AGID RADICAL DEHYDROASCORBIC ACID
H3
HO
CH3 CH3 CH3
H3C ~ O CH CH3
CH3 3
a - TOCHOPHERAL
1.~0~
LOO H
CH3
~U
CHg CH3 CH3
H3G ~ O CHI CH3
CH3
a - TOCHOPHERAL RADICAL
Chemical Reaction Eormu.la 1
z
x"10 964 5
In the above mentioned method for reducing oxidized
skin tissue, reducing substances such as vitamin C must be
ingested, and since those reducing substances cannot be
synthesized in vivo, they must be ingested as foods or drugs
in a form of synthesized products. However, vitamin C
ingested in a form of the foods or synthesized products takes
a long time to be brought to the oxidized skin tissue to
reduce it. In addition, since vitamin C ingested spreads all
over the body, vitamin C does contribute not only to the
reduction of the oxidized skin tissue, but rather the
reduction effect may be dispersed through the whole body,
which may lead to unexpectedly low results.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the above-described problems of the known
prior art, the present invention is aimed at providing a
method and an apparatus for steadily reducing oxidized skin
tissue in a short time period.
According to one aspect of the present invention,
for achieving the objects described above, there is provided a
method for reducing an oxidized skin tissue by applying
negative high-voltage pulses to the oxidized skin tissue, so
that the oxidized skin tissue is reduced by an electron
addition reaction.
According to another aspect of the present
invention, there is provided an apparatus for reducing an
oxidized skin tissue, comprising a high-voltage pulse means
for generating negative high-voltage pulses, and a contact
portion, the contact element providing means for applying
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electrons due to negative high-voltage pulses from the contact
portion to a surface of the oxidized skin tissue, so that the
oxidized skin tissue is reduced by an electron addition
reaction.
The nature, principle and utility of the invention
will become more apparent from the following detailed
description when read in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings and diagrams.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the accompanying drawings:
FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of one example
of a skin tissue reducing apparatus according to the present
invention;
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the structure of
one example of a high-voltage generating circuit incorporated
in the skin tissue reducing apparatus according to the present
invention;
FIG. 3 is a graph showing electron spin resonance
(ESR) spectra of A: potassium permanganate solution saturated
with pure nitrogen and B: irradiation of the skin tissue
reducing apparatus for 45 min. in the solution A;
FIG. 4 is a graph showing changes of the optical
density at 420 [nm] with time, wherein solution A is
pyrogallol solution under atmosphere (control group) and
solution H is irradiation of the skin tissue reducing
apparatus in the solution A;
FIG. 5 is a graph showing differences of the optical
density at 420 [nm] with time between the solution A (control
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group) and the solution 8 (irradiation group) in FIG. 4;
FIGs. 6A to 6D are graphs showing an HPLC of
ubiquinone in EtOH-H20 (3:1) solutions before and after
irradiation of the skin tissue reducing
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apparatus according to the present invention;
FIG. 7 i.s a r;raph showi n~; a rat. i on o f the ub i qta i nono (a) sarxl
I,lu~
ubiquinol (b) by irradiation of the skin tissue reducing apparatus according
to the present invention; and
FIGs.8A and 8B are graphs showing an HPLC of the ubiquinone in
Eton solutions before and after irradiation of the skin tissue reducing
apparatus according to the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF T11E PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Generally speaking, when an atom, a molecule or an ion acquires
electrons, it is called "reduced". Tlrat means, the reduction is a reaction
due to an addition of electrons. For example, an iron ion of tri-vale:nt
Fe " is reduced to an iron ion of di-valent Fe2' by adding an electron e'
as shown in a chemical reaction formula 2. A manganese ion of hepta-valent
Mn " is reduced to a manganese ion of di-valent hln2' by t.lre addition of
five electrons (5e') as shown in a chemical reaction formula 3.
Fe3' + e' -i Fez'
Chemical Reaction Formula 2
Mn" + 5e' --~ Mnz'
Chemical Reaction Formula 3
Accordingly, it is possible to electrically reduce the oxidized skin tissue.
p
~o~s~5~
In fact, it is known that the potential energy of an
ion in the reduced state is greater than that of the
precursor, and there is a great energy barrier between the
state transitions. Thus, the in vivo reduction is performed
with the intervention of an energy transmission system and an
enzyme. Accordingly, a relatively high voltage (or field
strength) is required for reducing the oxidized skin tissue
electrically. In order to carry out electrically efficient
reduction of the oxidized skin tissue, an AC or a pulsed
voltage is required, which can easily penetrate the skin.
From the above description, it can be concluded that
an efficient electrical reduction of the oxidized skin tissue
requires an application of negative high-voltage pulses to the
skin.
FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of one example
of a skin tissue reducing apparatus according to the present
invention, wherein a contact element 2, functions to guide
negative high-voltage pulses generated by a high-voltage
generating circuit, to a surface of the skin. When the
apparatus is brought close to or in contact with the skin
surface, a sufficient coupling is formed with the skin. The
contact element 2 which is attached to a main body 1, which
incorporates the high-voltage generating circuit. The main
body 1 of the skin tissue reducing apparatus has a portable
cylindrical form, and a power source line 3 is connected to
one side bottom portion thereof. The contact element 2 is
mounted on the other side bottom portion. An end terminal of
the power source line 3 is connected to a DC power source to
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operate the skin tissue reducing apparatus. The contact
element 2 has a contact portion 2A in the form of an umbrella
at the top portion thereof so as to contact with the skin.
Besides, the contact element 2 is attachable and detachable to
the main body 1. A function of the contact element 2, in
addition to the above-mentioned one, is to give appropriately
dispersed impedance to prevent the skin from being burnt by
the concentration of the electric current. The contact
element 2 which has the above functions and is used in the
present invention may take the following forms;
O1 a glass tube with an electrode coated on one end, in
which air or another gas having a reduced pressure is sealed;
O2 a glass tube in which air or another gas having a
reduced pressure and an electrode are sealed;
a glass tube in which air or another gas having a
reduced pressure is sealed and a metal deposition electrode is
formed on an inner wall of the glass tube; and
a metal plate, foil or net coated with an insulating
material such as glass, resin or the like.
FIG. 2 shows a block diagram illustrating the
structure of an example of a high-voltage generating circuit
to generate negative high-voltage pulses, which is
incorporated in the main body 1 of the skin tissue reducing
apparatus according to the present invention. The DC voltage
(for example, +12V) which is inputted from a DC power source
through the power source line 3 is stepped up by a voltage
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step-up circuit 11 incorporating a step-up oscillator (not
shown). Positive electric charges are then accumulated in a
storage capacitor 12, and the accumulation is continued
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until the voltage reaches a predetermined value (for example, +1(lOV at a
point A). After the charging is completed, a trigger pulse is generated in
a trigger generating circuit 13 and sent to a gate of a thyristor 14. This
trigger operation provides quick conduction between an anode and a cathode
of the tl>,yristor 14 and the positive electric charges accumulated in the
storage capacitor 12 are discharged by the thyristor 14 through the primary
side of the high-voltage transformer 15. At this time, negative high-
voltage pulses (for example, 15 KVp-v at a point 13) are generated on the
secondary side of the high-voltage transformer 15.
After the completion of discharge of the storage capacitor 12, by
a counter electromotive force caused by the magnetic energy remaining in the
high-voltage transformer 15, current continues through the thyristor 14, as
far as the current is more than the lowest llolding current of the thyristor
14, which charges storage capacitor 12 into negative (minus at point A).
After tire negative charging is completed, the accumulated negative electric
charges are flown to the primary side of the high-voltage transformer 15
through a diode 16 and an attenuation resistance 17 which are connected in
series and are in parallel with the thyristor 14. llowever, since the energy
of accumulated negative electric charges are attenuated quickly by the
2 0 attenuation resistance 17, the voltage of the positive pulses generated on
the secondary side of the high-voltage transformer 15 is controlled to be a
low level. Tire high-voltage pulses thus generated, biased negatively, are
applied to tire skin 10 of a human through the contact. element 2.
llere, in addition to the method using the voltage step-up
transformer shown in the above-mentioned embodiment of EIG.2, a means to
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generate the negat;ive high-voltage pulses includes the following methods
~l to ~;
~l Flyback Method:
An electric current flowed in an inductance including a
transformer is then shut off quickly.
02 Rectification Method:
An AC pulsed high voltage obtained by using a transformer and
the like is rectified by a high-voltage rectifier.
~ Induction Coil Method:
l0 An electromagnetically inductive coil of resonance type or non-
resonance type i.s employed.
Experimental examples to show the reducing effect of the skin
tissue reducing apparatus according to the present invention to effectively
reduce the skin tissue will be described as follows. The contact element 2
used here comprises a Pyrex thin wall glass tube having a tubular electrode
fixed at one end, in which nitrogen of 3 mmllg is sealed.
The first experiment was carried out to prove the reduction of Mn
(VII) to Mn (II) by addition of electrons using the skin tissue reducing
apparatus. Irradiation of tire skin tissue reducing apparatus to a O.lmM
2 0 potassium permanganate was carried out for 45 minutes. FIG.3 shows
electron
spin resonance (ESR) spectra of a curve A before and a curve B after the
irradiation of the skin tissue reducing apparatus. Since Mn (VII) has a
diamagnetic characteristics, it does not show the ESR spectrum. After the
irradiation, a characteristics A of ESR spectrum of Mn (II) was observed in
*Trade-mark
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..__... ~. . __. _ .__.._..........~-~. ...... W ..._.. .. ..
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this solution as shown in a characteristics R of FIG.3. This results
clearly demonstrated that Mn (VII)q'ag reduced to rtn (zz) by the electron
addition effect of the skin tissue reducing apparatus as shown in a below
chemical reaction formula 4.
Mn" + 5e- -~ Mn 2
Chemical Reaction Formula 4
As a model, a O.lmM potassium permanganate aqueous solution
saturated with pure nitrogen was used. FIG.3 shows characteristic curves on
the analytical results of the aqueous solution by an electron spin resonance
(ESR) spectra of before and after the contact element 2 of the present
apparatus was immersed in the aqueous solution and worked for 45 minutes.
As it is clear from the graphs in FIG.3, the aqueous solution prior to the
working of the contact element 2 contained manganese ions Mn (VII) of hepta
valent (characteristic curve A), while the aqueous solution after the
working, was changed to contain manganese ions Mn (II) of di valent
(characteristic curve B). This shows that the manganese ion Mn (VII) was
reduced to Mn (II) by the electron addition effect of the skin tissue
reducing apparatus according to the present invention.
Tire second experiment was performed based on the reducing effect
of the enzyme, superoxide dismutase (SOD) which eliminates peroxides .in a
living body (refer to a dissertation written by Stefan Marklund and Gudrun
Marklund, "Involvement of the Superoxide Anion Radical in the Autoxidation
of Pyrogallol and a Convenient Assay for Superoxide Dismutase", Eur. ,l.
Biochear. Vo1.47, 1974, pp.469-474). The pyrogallol solution of the model is
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a basic solution, subject to autoxidation, colored by the
oxidation, and the color is deepened as the degree of the
oxidation is raised. Accordingly, when the optical density
(O.D.) of the pyrogallol solution is measured by a
spectrophotometer as a predetermined wave length, the
intensity of the coloration, i.e. the degree of the oxidation
can be obtained. The reaction is inhibited by the vitamin C.
FIG. 4 shows the change of the optical density at 420 (nm]
with time of A: a pyrogallol solution which was autoxidized
under atmosphere (control group), and B: a pyrogallol solution
which is irradiated by the skin tissue reducing apparatus
according to the present invention. As it is clear from the
graphs in FIG. 4, it is proved that the oxidation of the
pyrogallol solution was inhibited or the oxidized pyrogallol
solution was reduced by the skin tissue reducing apparatus
according to the present invention. FIG. 5 shows the
differences of the optical density at 420 [nm] with time
between A (control group) and B (irradiation group). The fact
that the difference between the optical density of the
pyrogallol solutions is nearly linearly increased with time
when the experiments were carried out at a constant voltage
and a constant frequency, has demonstrated the reduction
effect of the present apparatus.
The third experiment was performed on the reduction
of ubiquinone to ubiquinol by using the skin tissue reducing
apparatus according to the present invention. Lrbiquinone and
ubiquinol participate in transmission of electrons in an
organism. It is well known that ubiquinol strongly acts as an
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anti-oxidizing agent in the organism. However, since
ubiquinol is transformed to ubiquinone by autoxidation and
anti-oxidizing power of ubiquinol decreases. Therefore, it is
necessary to give back by reducing ubiquinone to ubiquinol.
FIGs. 6A to 6D show a high performance liquid
chromatogram (HPLC) of an ubiquinone solution in EtOH . H20
(3:1), in which the contact element 2 of the present invention
was ixmnersed and worked. The analysis result shown in FIG. 6A
at a start time shows that the initial solution has 100$ of
ubiquinone (a). The analysis result shown in FIG. 6B after an
hour shows that the solution has 49~ of ubiquinone (a) and 18~
of ubiquinol (b). The analysis result shown in FIG. 6C after
two hours shows that the solution has 23~ of ubiquinone (a)
and 19~ of ubiquinol (b). The analysis result shown in FIG.
6D after three hours shows that the solution has 2~ of
ubiquinone (a) and 16~ of ubiquinol (b). These results mean
that ubiquinone is effectively reduced into ubiquinol by using
the skin tissue reducing apparatus according to the present
invention according to the following chemical reaction formula
5.
O OH
H3C0 CHg ~A~ON OF HgCO / CHg
NEGATIVE ELECTRONS
HgCO ~ H H3C0 \ ~ H
O Me 1~ OH Me
UBIQUIrIONE UBIQUINOL
Chemical Reaction Formula 5
Graphs of FIG. 7 show the variation in the
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difference between quantities of ubiquinone (a) and ubiquinol
(b) shown in FIGs. 6A to 6D with time (hour) and a ratio
of the composition. Since ubiquinol (b) increases with
passing time within two hours, it was proved that ubiquinone
(a) was reduced by the skin tissue reducing apparatus
according to the present invention. Ubiquinone and vitamin K
belong to the same group and ubiquinone is converted into
ubiquinol in a live body of the human or the like. Ubiquinol
is an activated substance having a strong reducing effect and
an anti-oxidation operation and is effective in the human
body. That is, it is possible to convert vitamin K into an
activated substance and the activated substance becomes the
ubiquinol after the operation due to the ubiquinol. Then, the
skin tissue reducing apparatus according to the present
invention can again convert the ubiquinone into the activated
substance. Therefore, the skin tissue reducing apparatus of
the present invention is also able to activate vitamin K.
FIGs. 8A and 8B show the high performance liquid
chromatogram of an ubiquinone in EtOH . Ether solution (3:1),
in which the contact element 2 of the present invention was
immersed and worked. The analysis result shown in FIG. 8A at
start time shows that the solution has 100 of ubiquinone (a).
The analysis result shown in FIG. 8B after two hours shows
similarly that the solution has 100 of ubiquinone (a). This
means that ubiquinol is not formed by reducing ubiquinone in a
non-aqueous system.
As stated above, since the reduction of ubiquinone
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to ubiquinol is not formed in a non-aqueous solvent, but is
formed in an aqueous solvent, the reduction of organic
compounds by the skin tissue reducing
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apparatus according to the present invention need water (liz0~. Namely, it
is considered that protons require reduction of carbonyl groups given by the
water.
As stated by the above explanations, according to the method and
the apparatus of the present invention, the oxidized skin tissue can be
reduced in a short time and the deterioration of the skin can be prevented
since the negative electrons are added to the oxidized skin tissue. In
addition, by measuring the reduction power of a pyrogallol solution
containing a predetermined amount of vitamin C, the correlation between the
amount of vitamin C and the working time of the present invention can be
obtained. The effect equivalent to, or more than, that provided by inges-
tion of the vitamin C of the predetermined amount can be efficiently
achieved by the present invention.
It should be understood that many modifications and adaptations of
the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art and it i.s
intendcxl to encompass such obvious modifications and clranbes in tl» scope
o('
the claims appended hereto.
4-
