GELATIN HOLLOW FIBERS AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING THE SAME

To provide: gelatin hollow fibers which are hardly soluble in water and are suitable for medical use; and a method for producing the same.SOLUTION: Provided is hollow fibers 1 comprising gelatin as a main component, wherein the fibers do not contain a water-soluble polymer or contain more than 0% by mass and 10 mass% or less thereof, do not contain a chemical cross-linking agent, and, even when immersed in cold water of 5°C for 60 minutes, maintain the shape and do not dissolve. The method for producing the gelatin hollow fibers of the present invention comprises: mixing more than 50 mass% and 70 mass% or less of gelatin, 0-10 mass% of a water-soluble polymer, 30 mass% or more and less than 50 mass% of water to obtain an air-liquid mixture of a gelatin-containing aqueous solution; vacuum-defoaming the air-liquid mixture to obtain a spinning solution; and dry spinning by extruding the spinning solution and letting the same pass through a spinning cylinder arranged in a vertical direction; and cutting the fibers at the bottom part where the fibers come out of the heated spinning cylinder. Thereafter, the fibers may be thermally cross-linked.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1 【課題】水に溶けにくく、医療用途に好適なゼラチン中空糸及びその製造方法を提供する。【解決手段】ゼラチンを主成分とする中空糸１であり、水溶性高分子を含まないか又は水溶性高分子が０質量％を超え１０質量％以下含まれ、化学架橋成分は含まず、５℃の冷水に６０分浸漬しても形状を維持し、溶解しない。本発明のゼラチン中空糸の製造方法は、ゼラチンが５０質量％を超え７０質量％以下、水溶性高分子が０〜１０質量％、水が３０質量％以上５０質量％未満の割合とし、混合してゼラチン含有水溶液の気液混合物とし、気液混合物を減圧脱泡して紡糸液とし、この紡糸液を押し出し、垂直方向に配置される加熱紡糸筒を通過させて乾式紡糸し、加熱紡糸筒を出た下部でカットすることにより得る。その後、熱架橋してもよい。【選択図】図１