What is natural rubber latex?
Natural rubber latex: Natural rubber is obtained from latex. A milky substance that is white and contains proteins, starch, alkaloids, etc., that is produced by many plants. It also contains rubber in some plants. A milky liquid present in either the latex vessels (ducts) or in the cells of rubber-producing plants.
Although about 20,000 different plant species produce latex, only 2,500 have been found to contain rubber in their latex.
A variety of trees can be used to harvest natural rubber latex, which looks like white sap. Do you know what milkweed is? You guessed it—natural latex is what makes milkweed milk!
It is possible to gather and refine naturally occurring latex sap to create other, more useful products.
For more specific information, keep reading.
Table of Contents
Materials And Methods
Natural rubber latex (NRL) from Hevea brasiliensis (clones BDF Latex Ltd. provided the materials (RRIM 600 and PB 235). (Guaranty, Sao Paulo, Brazil). In order to lower the protein content that could cause allergic reactions, NRL is centrifuged at 8000 g. The latex was stabilized with ammonia and contains 60% dry rubber.
Casearia sylvestris Sw. extract was produced by ethanol-extraction of leaves at 40°C for seven days, followed by lyophilization to concentrate the product. The material was collected at “Horto de Plantas Medicinais e Tóxicas da Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas da UNESP” in May 2010. Voucher specimen is deposited with the Herbarium “Maria Eneida P. Kaufmann” (Instituto Botanico do Estado de So Paulo, So Paulo, Brazil) under the reference number AGS101.
To elaborate the biomembranes, extract was diluted in an aqueous solution with 20% ethanol at a concentration of 0.25 mg/mL (this was done to prevent latex coagulation). Biomembranes were created by combining 3mL of extract solution with 5mL of latex, casting the mixture into Petri dishes ( mm), and allowing the solvent to evaporate at room temperature (RT) without the use of any allergen-provoking substances like carbamates or sulphur.
The release was carried out at room temperature in 400 mL of aqueous solution, and the UV-VIS spectrophotometer LGS53 from BEL Photonics was used to measure it. For 40 days, measurements were taken every day at the following intervals in minutes: 0, 15, 30, 45, 60, 120, 180, 240, and 300. The biomembranes were prepared and released as previously mentioned; however, each quarter of it was released in a volume of 100 mL (to maintain proportionality) in order to conduct the homogeneity test. A biomembrane’s size was used to normalize the data.
OriginPro SR4 from OriginLab Corporation, which was also employed to plot graphics and fit the published functions, persuaded statistical analyses. The software displays the amount of extract that was released using the integral of the functions. For statistical reasons, every analysis was done three times. Sigma Plot 12.5 (from Systat Software) was used to analyze the First Order, Higuchi, Hixon-Crowell, Baker-Lonsdale, and Korsmeyer-Peppas mathematical models of the release mechanism.
A scanning electron microscope (SEM) model Zeiss EVO 50 (20 KV) with a take-off angle of 35° was used to observe the surface morphology of the NRL biomembrane. With a VERTEX 70 (Bruker, Germany) and a 4000–500 cm− resolution, the FT-IR spectra were measured directly using the attenuated total reflection (ATR) method.
What Is A Reaction To Latex?
An individual with a latex allergy is allergic to proteins found in natural rubber latex. Allergens released during the rubber’s processing are thought to be the cause of latex allergies, though anyone can develop them. The amount of latex exposure needed to produce sensitization or an allergic reaction is unknown, but softer rubber dipped products that have been processed longer (like
gloves and balloons) are seen as more allergenic, and frequent exposure to latex products increases the risk of developing a sensitivity.
People who have Spina Bifida and catharize; or have several surgeries from very early in life, such as bladder surgery or shunt revisions, are at very high risk for allergy because of a “cumulative” effect over time. Latex sensitivity symptoms can be mild, but they have the potential to fatally worsen suddenly. Because the symptoms can be hazy and non-specific, many people are not aware that they are latex sensitive. A serious reaction could happen to those people. See more about How Is Rubber Made?
How Does Latex Allergy Manifest Itself?
• Itching
• Skin redness, hives or rash
• Sneezing
• Runny nose
• Itchy, watery eyes
• Scratchy, hoarse throat
• Cough
• Wheezing and shortness of breath (asthma)
Anaphylaxis, a type of shock, is the most severe allergic response to latex. A medical emergency is a latex-induced anaphylactic reaction.
Other Signs And Symptoms Include:
• Difficulty breathing caused by swelling of lips, tongue or windpipe
• Severe drop in blood pressure (hypotension)
• Dizziness
• Loss of consciousness
• Confusion
• Slurred speech
• Rapid or weak pulse
• Blue hue of the skin, including lips and nail beds
• Diarrhea
• Nausea and vomiting
Latex Items
Natural latex has been used extensively in the United States for more than a century and is used in the creation of many everyday items due to its low cost, durability, and adaptability. Even though the majority of medical products are labeled, latex-containing recreational or household items might not be.
Latex Allergy Fact Sheets and Other Materials
Permission to use the materials found in the Latex Allergy Toolbox has been granted by the Network for Asthma & Allergies The toolkit features a variety of fact sheets and other materials for health care providers, parents, students, school staff, and others, including:
- Parent and practitioner resources
- Latex and vaccines
- School resources
- Allergy & Asthma Network webinars
Latex Allergy and Foods
Parents and patients should be aware that caution should be taken regarding what has come to be labeled “latex-fruit syndrome.” According to research, some foods contain proteins similar to those in the sap of rubber trees. Sometimes people with latex allergies experience a reaction to “latex reactive foods.” The term “latex-food syndrome” or “latex-fruit allergy” may be used to describe this. Mainly nuts and fruit, but also some vegetables, are foods that react with latex.
Foods with a high degree of latex allergy association or prevalence:
- Avocado
- Banana
- Chestnut
- Kiwi
Foods with a moderate degree of latex allergy association or prevalence:
- Apple
- Carrot
- Celery
- Melons
- Papaya
- Potatoes
- Tomatoes
Foods with low or undetermined latex allergy association:
Apricot, Buckwheat, Castor Bean, Cayenne Pepper, Cherry, Chick Peas, Citrus Fruits, Peach, Peanut, Pear, Persimmon, Pineapple, Plum, Rye, Sage, Shellfish, Soybean, Strawberry, Sunflower Seed, Sweet Pepper, Walnut, Wheat, Zucchini, Lychee, Mango, Nectarine, Oregano, Passion Fruit, Peach, Peanut, Pear, Persimmon, Pineapple, Plum, Rye, Sage, and Zucchini.
What Connections Do Latex And Rubber Have?
A polymer suspension in water is what makes up latex.
Rubber is a polymeric substance that can deform and then reform to its original shape.
However, latexes can be made from a wide range of polymers, and the association between the two is probably the result of the fact that naturally occurring rubber is obtained from rubber trees and used as a latex.
Whether Latex Is Present In Rubber Tires
The majority of modern tires are constructed from a blend of synthetic, natural (latex), and additive rubber. Since each tire company strives to create a compound with the best blend of traction, comfort, performance, and durability, the precise formulas are closely guarded trade secrets.
Since When Is Natural Rubber Biodegradable?
Most likely because it evolved in an environment where other microbes that could attack it did as well. Everything searches its immediate surroundings for food because it must eat. If there are both bacteria and natural rubber latex, then any bacterial strain that develops the ability to obtain nutrition from the latex will probably be preferred.
Natural Rubber Can Be Found Where?
Rubber tree sap is used to make natural rubber. To remove the extra moisture, it is heated. It’s not very useful until it’s “vulcanized” (heat treated with sulfur) to make it more temperature stable.
A large portion of the global rubber supply was under Japanese control at the start of World War II. The quest to create synthetic rubber was launched as a result. Natural rubber isn’t used as much as synthetic rubber because it can be produced with a wider range of properties.
But there are still a few products where natural rubber is preferred.
Latex Is Made Of Rubber Or Plastic
Actually, depending on the precise origin of the raw materials and the method used to transform it into an elastomeric material, latex can be either plastic, rubber, or both. In the past, the term “latex” was used to refer specifically to the milky white exudate that is produced by a variety of flowering plants. Although latex can be derived from many other flowering plants, including the dandelion, many people only associate the term with the product made from the rubber tree. The latex from a rubber tree is typically used to make natural latex rubber gloves, which are then processed and chemically altered to create the rubber. Latex derived from plants is used to create natural rubber. However, synthetic rubber has also been readily available since World War II. The latex particles in this situation are a specific kind of plastic. In general, synthetic rubber particles are made from a copolymer of styrene and butadiene or styrene and isoprene. Synthetic rubber is properly referred to as plastic because its constituent parts can be mistaken for materials that are commonly referred to as plastic. In addition, some forms of latex, such as latex paint, are unquestionably made of plastic. In this instance, the paint is a colloidal dispersion of polymer particles that have nothing in common with latex obtained from a rubber tree.
Conclusion
The tropical rubber tree Hevea Brasiliensis produces natural rubber latex (NRL), a milky substance. It can be heated and molded into rubber goods with different textures, such as tires, or it can be dipped to create softer goods like balloons or exam gloves.
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