Kanyama Takahide, Masunaga Akihiro, Kawahara Takayoshi, Morita Hayato, Akita Sadanori
Research and Development Department, Shabondama Soap Co., Ltd., Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, Japan.
Faculty of Environmental Engineering, The University of Kitakyushu, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, Japan.
PLoS One. 2025 Jun 18;20(6):e0324842. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0324842. eCollection 2025.
In the era of COVID-19, concerns about and consumption of soaps and detergents have increased. The environmental effects, along with their direct impacts on the human body, are being simultaneously considered to ensure safety and support healthy living. Natural soap compounds are considered readily biodegradable and unlikely to produce hazardous waste, while artificial detergents are composed of synthetic surfactants, plasticizers, binders, and additives. This study aimed to investigate representative natural soap compounds consisting of fatty acid salts and compare them with synthetic detergents, such as sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate (SDB) and sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS). Environmental assays recommended by the OECD, as well as human keratinocyte assays for toxicity and biodegradability, were utilized. The major components of natural soap were found to be less toxic and more biodegradable in aquatic environments-assessed using algae, crustaceans, and fish-compared to synthetic detergents. Additionally, in the human keratinocyte assay, natural soap compounds were significantly less toxic and demonstrated higher viability than SLS after a 48 h culture and a 5 min exposure. The half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) obtained from the viability assay revealed values of 7.82 mM for potassium laurate (C12K), 7.56 mM for potassium oleate (C18:1K), and 0.604 mM for SLS. Therefore, natural soap appears to be valuable due to its lower toxicity, greater biodegradability in aquatic environments, enhanced safety for human cells, and potential efficiency in clinical applications.
在新冠疫情时代，人们对肥皂和洗涤剂的关注及消费量都有所增加。人们在确保安全和支持健康生活的同时，也在综合考虑它们对环境的影响以及对人体的直接影响。天然肥皂化合物被认为易于生物降解，不太可能产生危险废物，而人工洗涤剂则由合成表面活性剂、增塑剂、粘合剂和添加剂组成。本研究旨在研究由脂肪酸盐组成的代表性天然肥皂化合物，并将它们与合成洗涤剂，如十二烷基苯磺酸钠（SDB）和月桂醇硫酸酯钠（SLS）进行比较。采用了经合组织推荐的环境检测方法，以及针对毒性和生物降解性的人类角质形成细胞检测方法。与合成洗涤剂相比，在使用藻类、甲壳类动物和鱼类进行评估的水生环境中，发现天然肥皂的主要成分毒性更小，更易于生物降解。此外，在人类角质形成细胞检测中，经过48小时培养和5分钟暴露后，天然肥皂化合物的毒性明显更低，且比SLS具有更高的活力。从活力检测中获得的半数最大抑制浓度（IC50）显示，月桂酸钾（C12K）为7.82 mM，油酸钾（C18:1K）为7.56 mM，SLS为0.604 mM。因此，天然肥皂因其较低的毒性、在水生环境中更高的生物降解性、对人体细胞更高的安全性以及在临床应用中的潜在效率而显得很有价值。
