en
Scientific article
English

Non-invasive assessment of the effects of iontophoresis on human skin in-vivo

Published inJournal of pharmacy and pharmacology, vol. 53, no. 6, p. 769-777
Publication date2001
Abstract

The stratum corneum (SC), the outermost layer of the skin, presents a formidable barrier to transdermal drug delivery. As a result, different strategies have been developed to enhance drug transport into and through skin. Iontophoresis involves the application of a small electrical current which drives molecules across the skin and controls relatively well the rate of delivery. Although the technique has been widely investigated in-vitro, the evaluation of skin integrity in-vivo after iontophoresis is absolutely necessary for the future clinical application of this approach. This paper reviews the non-invasive biophysical techniques which have been used to assess the effects of current application on human skin in-vivo. Specifically, transepidermal water loss, infrared spectroscopy, impedance spectroscopy and skin blood flow measurements are discussed. After first presenting the basic principles of these methods, their application to the determination of SC barrier function and skin integrity is addressed, and the criteria for selecting the most appropriate approach are considered.

Keywords
  • Administration, Cutaneous
  • Drug Delivery Systems
  • Epidermis/drug effects/physiology
  • Humans
  • Iontophoresis/methods
  • Skin/blood supply
  • Skin Physiological Phenomena
  • Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared
  • Water-Electrolyte Balance
Citation (ISO format)
CURDY, Catherine Anne-Marie, KALIA, Yogeshvar, GUY, Richard H. Non-invasive assessment of the effects of iontophoresis on human skin in-vivo. In: Journal of pharmacy and pharmacology, 2001, vol. 53, n° 6, p. 769–777. doi: 10.1211/0022357011776117
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Article (Published version)
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Identifiers
ISSN of the journal0022-3573
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