Vytex Natural Rubber Latex (NRL) is a brand of

natural rubber Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Thailand, Malaysia, and ...

latex Latex is an emulsion (stable dispersion) of polymer microparticles in water. Latexes are found in nature, but synthetic latexes are common as well. In nature, latex is found as a milky fluid found in 10% of all flowering plants (angiosperms ...

produced and marketed by Vystar Corporation. Vytex NRL is an alternative material to petroleum-based synthetics and traditional, or

Hevea ''Hevea'' is a genus of flowering plants in the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, with about ten members. It is also one of many names used commercially for the wood of the most economically important rubber tree, '' H. brasiliensis''. The genus is n ...

, natural rubber latex. Protein test results show that Vytex NRL typically has 90% fewer antigenic proteins than Hevea natural rubber latex.Vystar Corporation. (2009). Vytex NRL Frequently Asked Questions. Retrieved February 9, 2009, from http://www.vytex.com/faq.html Physical properties of Vytex include barrier protection,

elasticity Elasticity often refers to: *Elasticity (physics), continuum mechanics of bodies that deform reversibly under stress Elasticity may also refer to: Information technology * Elasticity (data store), the flexibility of the data model and the cl ...

, tactile sensitivity, strength, comfort and fit. Vytex comes in two grades: Vytex high ammonia (Vytex HA) for surgical, exam and rubber gloves, catheters and balloons, and Vytex low ammonia (Vytex LA) for adhesive and foam applications. In May 2009 the

U.S. Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a federal agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the control and supervision of food s ...

granted

510(k) The United States Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (abbreviated as FFDCA, FDCA, or FD&C) is a set of laws passed by the United States Congress in 1938 giving authority to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to oversee the safety of f ...

clearance to market and sell a

condom A condom is a sheath-shaped barrier device used during sexual intercourse to reduce the probability of pregnancy or a sexually transmitted infection (STI). There are both male and female condoms. With proper use—and use at every act of in ...

made with Vytex that contains less than 2 μg/ dm² of antigenic proteins. Vytex was created in 2005 by a global team of scientists including Travis Honeycutt, who holds more than 100 patents. Vystar holds two U.S. patents, an additional pending application, and multiple international patent filings for Vytex NRL. Vytex is produced by Revertex Malaysia and distributed by Centrotrade Minerals and Metals, Inc. In May 2018, Vystar acquired the assets of UV Flu Technologies.

Antigenic proteins

According to the

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the national public health agency of the United States. It is a United States federal agency, under the Department of Health and Human Services, and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgi ...

, proteins in latex cause a range of allergic reactions. Allergies to latex are most common in healthcare workers, although there is a lack of awareness among nurses that frequent exposure to latex triggers

latex allergy Latex allergy is a medical term encompassing a range of allergic reactions to the proteins present in natural rubber latex. It generally develops after repeated exposure to products containing natural rubber latex. When latex-containing medical de ...

. Natural rubber latex contains over 200

protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, respo ...

s, similar to other natural plant materials, of which 13 are known allergens.{{Citation needed, date=April 2020 Vytex NRL is created through a process that significantly reduces these proteins.

Scientific process

Vytex Natural Rubber Latex comes from the ''

Hevea brasiliensis ''Hevea brasiliensis'', the Pará rubber tree, ''sharinga'' tree, seringueira, or most commonly, rubber tree or rubber plant, is a flowering plant belonging to the spurge family Euphorbiaceae Euphorbiaceae, the spurge family, is a large fami ...

'' rubber tree, which is primarily cultivated in Southeast Asia. Natural rubber latex is a cloudy white liquid collected by cutting a thin strip of bark from the tree and allowing the latex to be secreted into a collection cup over a period of several hours. After collection, the latex is treated with

ammonia Ammonia is an inorganic compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the formula . A stable binary hydride, and the simplest pnictogen hydride, ammonia is a colourless gas with a distinct pungent smell. Biologically, it is a common nitrogenous was ...

to prevent

coagulation Coagulation, also known as clotting, is the process by which blood changes from a liquid to a gel, forming a blood clot. It potentially results in hemostasis, the cessation of blood loss from a damaged vessel, followed by repair. The mechanism o ...

and is transported to a processing facility for concentrating and compounding.

Aluminium hydroxide Aluminium hydroxide, Al(OH)3, is found in nature as the mineral gibbsite (also known as hydrargillite) and its three much rarer polymorphs: bayerite, doyleite, and nordstrandite. Aluminium hydroxide is amphoteric, i.e., it has both basic and ...

, an

amphoteric In chemistry, an amphoteric compound () is a molecule or ion that can react both as an acid and as a base. What exactly this can mean depends on which definitions of acids and bases are being used. One type of amphoteric species are amphiproti ...

protein binding chemical, is added to the latex source material while still in liquid form to complex and remove the antigenic proteins. Aluminium hydroxide can form a jelly-like structure suspending any unwanted materials in water, including bacteria. Under certain conditions, it produces

protein complexes A protein complex or multiprotein complex is a group of two or more associated polypeptide chains. Protein complexes are distinct from multienzyme complexes, in which multiple catalytic domains are found in a single polypeptide chain. Protein c ...

that are removed from the Vytex NRL solution.

Testing for levels of proteins

Samples of treated Vytex NRL are subjected to the Modified Lowry ASTM D5712-05 test, used to measure the total extractable proteins in natural rubber latex, and the ELISA Inhibition ASTM D6499-07 test, used to test for antigenic latex proteins.ASTM D6499 - 07 Standard Test Method for The Immunological Measurement of Antigenic Protein in Natural Rubber and its Products; retrieved May 29 from http://www.astm.org/Standards/D6499.htm Un-leached sample films and products made with Vytex NRL have been independently tested for protein levels at three time intervals: immediately after production, after 21 days of storage, and after 6 months of storage. Test results during all phases of protein testing generated less than 10 ug/dm² of antigenic protein using the ELISA protein test method. Products made from Vytex NRL under similar conditions used for Hevea natural rubber latex production frequently exhibit less than 0.2 ug/dm² of antigenic protein. Overall, Vytex NRL typically has 90% fewer antigenic proteins than Hevea natural rubber latex.

References

External links

Vytex Natural Rubber LatexThe American Latex Allergy AssociationAsthma and Allergy Foundation of AmericaAmerican Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology
Rubber industry Condoms

Antigenic proteins

Scientific process

Testing for levels of proteins

See also

References

External links