Nihon Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd

Nihon Pharamaceutical Co., Ltd.

Tomonori Hamawaki

Yosuke Kataoka

Takako Isoda

An emulsion comprising L-Menthol, a fat or oil and a surfactant wherein oil particles have an average diameter of 100 nm or less inhibits a content reduction attributed to, for example, evaporation of L-menthol, enhances a light transmission through liquid and is stable despite long-term storage. Thus, the emulsion can be appropriately used in the temporary inhibition of contraction of gastrointestinal tract for, for example, observation of gastrointestinal tract by an endoscope. This emulsion can be obtained by heating an oil-in-water type emulsion comprising L-menthol, a fat or oil and a surfactant at 60&#xb0; C. or higher.

Smooth muscle contraction inhibitors

It is known that L-menthol controls smooth muscle contraction. In order to use L-menthol in practice as a digestive tract contraction inhibiting agent in digestive tract endoscopy, it is required to devise means of giving a formulation in which an L-menthol-containing formulation remains stable and transparent or little cloudy over a long time after the production and which shows little foaming at the administration. In the present invention, an antifoaming agent is further added to a formulation for inhibiting smooth muscle contraction or a peristaltic contraction in a digestive tract containing a L-menthol emulsion having an average particle size of less than 100 nm. Thus, it is possible to obtain a formulation that remains stable over a long time, has a high light transmittance, and produces little foam when filled into a container and sprayed at a target area to inhibit contraction to facilitate observation of the area in endoscopic examination of the digestive tract etc.

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Izumisano, Japan

Tomonori Hamawaki