Transdermal iontophoresis physical enhancer

Fang J, Hwang T, Huang Y, Tsai Y. Transdermal iontophoresis of sodium nonivamide acetate—V. Combined effect of physical enhancement methods. Int J Pharm 2002 235 95-105. 

The use of skin permeation enhancers in combination for synergistic effects has been studied in the transdermal literature (70). Such synergistic methods can be grouped in three categories (i) combination of two physical methods, e.g., ultrasound and iontophoresis (71-75) (ii) combination of a physical method with a chemical enhancer, e.g., use of ultrasound with sodium lauryl sulfate or isopropyl myristate (76-80) and (iii) combination of two chemicals, e.g., terpenes and propylene glycol (46,81-88). Numerous studies have been published on using combination of two physical methods or use of a physical method in conjunction with a chemical enhancer. Use of a physical method, by itself or in combination with another physical method, increases application cost for delivery purposes as mentioned before. In addition, there are unexplored safety and membrane recovery issues associated with these methods. A few reports have also been published on the use of a mixture of chemical enhancers for enhancing transdermal delivery. Typically, such studies use... 

The remarkable resistance of the SC intercellular lipid network to the passive penetration of therapeutic agents has intensified the search for devices, chemical and physical, with the ability to perturb this lipid environment. Of the many physical techniques investigated, iontophoresis (or electrically enhanced transdermal transport) has become an important focal point [160-162]. Unparalleled in its ability to deliver (noninvasively) ionized drugs across the skin, its modus operandi appears to be largely dependent on transcutaneous ion-conducting pathways (which may be paracellular), rather than a function of direct interaction with the lipid infrastructure [163]. Nevertheless, the effect of the applied current on the lipid (and protein) domains is a matter of interest with respect to both safety considerations (i.e., does the applied current induce stmctural alterations ) and mechanistic insight. ATR-FTIR has been used in a number of studies to discern the effect of iontophoresis on SC lipid and protein structures, both in vivo and in vitro. In separate studies, human SC was examined in vivo following the delivery of current at 0.1-0.2 mA/cm for 30... 

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