Toxicity reduction of natural rubber gloves using protein crosslinking technique

For natural rubber (NR) gloves, residual latex processing chemicals are the important substances that cause adverse reactions to users who are sensitive to them. Many attempts have therefore been made to reduce or eliminate these leachable chemicals from the gloves such as natural compound addition and polymer coating. The current study proposed a novel alternative method to reduce chemical allergens from NR gloves by protein crosslinking through the Maillard reaction that is possible to adapt to the existing glove production. Commercial NR gloves were initially treated with various concentrations of glutaraldehyde, a crosslinking agent, ranging from 0.00% to 1.00%w/w prior to being tested for cytotoxicity, contact angle, water absorption, and mechanical properties. Artificial sweat and culture medium with serum (complete medium) were used as vehicles for in vitro cytotoxicity tests. Results from the test revealed that, regardless of the vehicle type, increasing glutaraldehyde concentration reduced the toxicity of NR gloves, indicating the reduction of leachable toxic substances after the treatment. Contact angle and water absorption resistance were found to increase with increasing glutaraldehyde concentration, reflecting the enhanced hydrophobicity of the treatment. The mechanical properties of the gloves were not significantly different after such treatment. The results confirm the potential use of this protein crosslinking method to reduce the allergy problem of NR gloves. Protein cross‐linking by glutaraldehyde.