Iontophoresis
Introduction[edit | edit source]
Iontophoresis is a procedure in which an electric current will be pass through skin which will be soaked in tap water allowing ionized or charged particles to cross the normal skin barrier. This method is considered as a non invasive transdermal drug delivery technique based on transfer of charged molecules using low intensity electric current.
Mechanism[edit | edit source]
There are two mechanisms that are usually involved in iontophoretic transport.
- Electro-migration
- Electro-osmosis
Electro-migration: It is also referred to as electro-repulsion. There occurs movement of ions across a membrane (the skin) under the direct influence of an electric field. There are two electrodes, cathode and anode. When an electric field is passed, the negatively charged drugs repel into the skin under the cathode whereas, the transfer of positively charged drugs happen under the anode.
Electro-osmosis: This is the second mechanism and electro-osmosis is considered as the volume flow induced by the current flow. It depends on the physiochemical properties of the molecules and the polarity of the applied current. For example- When negative charges are placed on the cathode (-) , they will migrate trans dermally towards anode (+).
