Synthesis and characterization of high-quality skin-cooling sheets containing thermosensitive poly(N-isopropylacrylamid)

• Published in: Journal of biomedical materials research. Part B, Applied biomaterials Vol. 98B; no. 1; pp. 110 - 113
• Main Authors: Takegami, Yoshiaki, Yokoyama, Yoshiyuki, Norisugi, Osamu, Nagatsuma, Masahiro, Takata, Koji, Rehman, Mati Ur, Matsunaga, Kenji, Yokoi, Hideharu, Fujiki, Satoshi, Makino, Teruhiko, Shimizu, Tadamichi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company 01.07.2011; Wiley-Blackwell
• Subjects: Acrylamides - chemical synthesis; Acrylamides - chemistry; Acrylamides - pharmacology; Acrylic Resins; Adult; Biological and medical sciences; cooling; Female; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; NIPAAm; Polymers - chemical synthesis; Polymers - chemistry; Polymers - pharmacology; sheet; skin; Skin Temperature - drug effects; Surgery (general aspects). Transplantations, organ and tissue grafts. Graft diseases; Technology. Biomaterials. Equipments; temperature; Temperature; Cooling; Synthesis; Preparation; Quality; Biomaterial; Skin; sheet; NIPAAm; Acrylamide derivative polymer; Biomedical engineering
• ISSN: 1552-4973; 1552-4981; 1552-4981
• DOI: 10.1002/jbm.b.31839

Poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) is the most popular thermosensitive polymer, and exhibits a low critical solution temperature of approximately 32°C. This study aimed to examine the usefulness of new cooling sheets, which are manufactured using a thermosensitive poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) material. We prepared cooling‐hydrogel sheets containing PNIPAAm (PNIPAAm sheet). We measured the skin temperature on the arms of the subjects using a thermograph and compared the usefulness of the PNIPAAm sheet and a control cooling‐hydrogel sheet that did not contain the PNIPAAm mixture. Thermographic measurements obtained 40 min after the treatment with the cooling sheets showed the skin temperature of the subjects treated with the 3.% (w/w) PNIPAAm sheets to be significantly lower than that of the subjects treated with the control cooling‐hydrogel sheet (p < 0.005). Compared with the control sheet, the cooling effect of the new PNIPAAm sheet also persisted for a longer duration (up to 100 min). The PNIPAAm sheets exhibited excellent cooling effects. This sheet may therefore be useful for lowering the body temperature of patients with high‐grade fever, such as fever due to influenza infection. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 2011.