Ethylene oxide is the 2nd generation of chemical sterilizers after formaldehyde, and is still one of the best cold sterilizers, and the most important member of the four current low-temperature sterilization technologies (low-temperature plasma, low-temperature formaldehyde steam, ethylene oxide, and glutaraldehyde).EO is a simple epoxide compound, a non-specific alkyl compound, with the molecular formula of C2H4O, and the structural formula of: -CH2-CH2-O-.
Ethylene oxide sterilization principle
1, alkylation
Ethylene oxide kills various microorganisms, the main mechanism of action is alkylation, the action of the site is the protein and nucleic acid molecules in the hydrophobic (-SH), amino (-NH2), hydroxyl (-COOH) and hydroxyl (-OH) and so on, ethylene oxide can make the alkylation of these groups occurring reaction, so that the microorganisms of these biomolecules inactivate, thus killing the microorganisms.
2, inhibit the activity of biological enzymes
Ethylene oxide can inhibit the activity of microbial enzymes, such as phosphodehydrogenase, cholinesterase and other oxidative enzymes, hindering the completion of the normal metabolic process of microorganisms, leading to their death.
3, the killing effect of microorganisms
Ethylene oxide liquid and gas have strong microbial killing effect, compared with the gas microbial killing effect is stronger, in the disinfection and sterilization of the general use of its gas.
Ethylene oxide is a highly efficient broad-spectrum sterilizing agent, which has a strong inactivating effect on bacterial propagules, fungi, and viruses. In ethylene oxide in contact with microorganisms, but microorganisms and contain enough water conditions, then the role of ethylene oxide and microorganisms for the typical first-class reaction, inactivation of pure culture microorganisms of the dose, the reaction curve in the semi-logarithmic value of a straight line.
This law applies to all microorganisms, different types of microorganisms on ethylene oxide resistance to ethylene oxide, but the difference is not significant, the bacterial spores of ethylene oxide resistance to ethylene oxide is only 2 times stronger than the propagule, not found by the genetic decision of the microorganisms highly resistant to ethylene oxide. The resistance of bacterial spores to ethylene oxide was stronger, of which Bacillus subtilis black variant spores were the strongest.