Development of the Pulsed Direct Current Iontophoresis and Its Clinical Application

Makio Akimoto, Makoto Kawahara, Mayumi Matsumoto, Hidekazu Matsubayashi
2006 PIERS Online  
The skin is a primary area of body contact with the environment and is the route by which many chemicals enter the body. The delivery of drugs into and through the skin has been an important area of research for many years. Iontophoresis can be defined as the process of increasing the rate of penetration of ions into or through a tissue by the application of an external electric field across the tissue. Impedance spectroscopy was used to investigate the electrical response of skin to different
more » ... ons, applied currents and fields. The stratum corneum shows two important electrical features. First, it tends to become polarized as an electrical field is applied continuously. Second, its impedance changes with the frequency of the applied electrical field. To avoid the counterproductive polarization, the current should be applied in a periodic manner, which is called pulsed direct current. The pulsed direct current generating iontophoretic delivery system was developed. In the state of on, charged molecules are delivered by the iontophoretic diffusion process into the skin. A non-parenteral method for the delivery of macromolecules was developed by using a pulse direct current mode iontophoretic technique.
doi:10.2529/piers051008021701 fatcat:iensaszczvblrmx5owr4vfttae