Introduction To Iontophoresis

 Definition
 Used for
 Phonophoresis
 Complications
 Advantages over phonophoresis
Route Of Iontophoretic Drug Delivery
SKIN
The largest organ of the human body.
Weight=about 15% of body weight
Surface area=1.5 –2.0 square meters
Thickness=2-3mm
Sweat glands=650 average square inch of skin
Blood vessels=20
Melanocytes=60,000
Nerve endings=more than a 1000
Diagram Of The Layers Of
Human Skin
Mechanism Of Iontophoretic Drug Delivery
Via Skin
o Skin consists of
o Lipids(15-20%)
o Protiens(40%)

o Approx. Water(40%)

o Patch Application
o Alteration Of Molecular Rearrangement
o Skin Permeability changes
o Flip-Flop Gating mechanism
o Isoelectric point of Skin
o Electro-osmosis
Principle Of Iontophoresis
 Like& unlike
charges
 Negatively
charged drug
 Choice of drug
 Compounds That Have Been
Iontophoresed
Model Compoun Indications and
In vivo. d (s)
Morphine Applications
Postoperative analgesia
Human
Metoprotol Hypertension

Lidocaine Skin puncture anesthesia

Acyclovir Herpes orolabialis
Penicillin Burn sterilization
Fluoride Dentin hypersensitivity
Hydrocortisone Arthritis
Insulin Cystic fibrosis
Tap water Hyperhidrosis
 Compounds That Have Been
Iontophoresed
Model Compound Indications and
(s) Applications
In vitro,excised Propranolol Drug administration rate
skin
Azidothymidine Iontophoresis enhancement

LHRH Skin peptide metabolism

Vasopressin Factors rate
affecting delivery
Amino acids Factors affecting delivery rate
Piroxicam Drug administration rate
 Factors Affecting Iontophoretic Transport

o General Factors like

o physiochemical properties of the compound
o drug formulation
o equipment used
o biological variations
o skin temperature
o duration of iontophoresis.
Factors Affecting Iontophoretic Transport

o Current Strength
o Ionic Competition
o Drug Concentration
o Molecular Size
o Convective Or Electro-
osmotic Transport
o Current-continuous Vs.
Pulsed Mode
o Physiological Factors
o Influence of pH
 Advantages
o Over Oral Administrations
o Over Parenteral Therapy
o Therapeutic Efficacy
o Dosing
o Short Biological Half-life
o Simplified Therapeutic Regimen
o Rapid Termination Of The Medication.
 Disadvantages
o Minor Reactions
o Long-lasting Skin Pigmentation
o Need Of Aqueous Solution And Must Be
Ionized
o Limit To The Quantity-Usually more than 5 To
10 Mg/Hr Causes Burns To The Underlying
Skin.
o Skin Itself A Barrier
o Isolated Report
 Efficiency Of Iontophoretic
Drug Delivery
The total iontophoresis current can be written as the product of
electrode area A(cm2) and the current density id (mA/cm2). Thus,
M D = ED I D A M W X t
ZD x F
where MD = Dosage of the drugD (Quantity/time)
F = Faraday's constant (96,500 coulombs/mole)
ZD = Valence(Unitless)

Mw = Molecular weight (g/moles)

t = time (seconds)
iD = current carried by drug ions.

Hence this equation allows to calculate how much drug can be

delivered by iontophoresis.
 Iontophoretic Drug Delivery Device

 An iontophoretic system has three basic components :

 the source of electric current- consists of a battery and control
electronics
 An active reservoir system- consists ionic therapeutic agent
 an indifferent or return reservoir system- contains an electrolyte
and serves to complete the electric circuit.
 Vytris Iontophoretic Patch
Positively charged drugs placed at the anode
 Return reservoir, placed at the cathode, which contains saline solution.
 A battery and microprocessor connect the anode and cathode reservoirs,
which are both in contact with the skin when the patch is applied.
the current is switched on
 the positively charged drug molecules are forced away from the anode
through the skin to the capillary bed below, in exchange for chloride
ions
At the cathode, chloride ions from the saline solution are forced away into
the capillary bed, and sodium ions are drawn up from the body fluid.
For negatively charged drugs, the anode and cathode are reversed with
respect to the drug reservoir and the return reservoir.
Drug flux is proportional to current but is also dependent on the molecular
size and structure of the drug, its charge, the concentration of the
drug, the presence of competing ions or permeation enhancers in the
formulation, the area of the patch, and the integrity of the skin/patch
interface.
ALZA
W/Alligator Clip Lead Wires Model
Pm900c
 Weight-4 oz
 Width-21/2”
 Length-41/2”
 Components-
 Lead wires
 9V alkaline battery
 Instruction guide
Transq-1gs (6 Kits) Model 031
Top reasons to choose TransQ®
Electrodes:
No chemical buffers necessary
Improve your drug delivery efficiency
Deliver effective results in as few as three
treatments—fewer treatments mean
more efficient service delivery
Convenient peel-away window provides
for easy-fill, no-stick handling.
TransQ-1GS Active Area: 7.6 sq. cm
Fill Volume: 1.5 cc
Max. Current: 4.0 mA
Rec. Dosage: 24-40 mA-min
Max. Dosage: 80 mA-min
Skin Interface: GelSponge™
Conductor: Conductive Element
Price $59.95
Model 033
• Active Area: 11.2 cm 53 cm
• Fill Volume: 2.5 cc N/A
• Max. Current: 4.0 mA
• Rec. Dosage: 40 mA-min
Max.
• Dosage: 80 mA-min
• Skin Interface: GelSponge™
Carbon
• Conductor: Silver-
SilverChloride Carbon
• Price $119.95
Phoresor II Auto
 Phoresor II Auto Safety And
Convenience Features
• Description
• Display Help
• Automatic Time Calculation
• Automatic Current Ramp Up
• Automatic or Manual Current Ramp Down.
• Pause
• 10 Minute Automatic Shut Off
• Resistance Limit
• Dose and Current Limit
• Electrode Reject
Setting Up The Phoresor II Auto
 Preparing Electrodes And Patient For
Treatment
NOTE : Please refer to directions for use supplied with electrodes for
detailed instructions. DO NOT tape, bind or compress either
electrode against the skin during treatment. Doing so may cause
excessive skin irritation or burns.
 Skin must be free of damage
 Preparation of drug electrode
 For local Dermal Anesthesia
 For Other Medication
 Preparation of skin sites
 Application of drug electrode
 Application of dispersive pad
 Attachment of twin lead connector clips
 Operating The Phoresor II Auto

Normally , a typical In PIIA

treatment requires  Selecting dose
only three steps :  Setting current
 Select dose  Starting current
 Set current  Pausing or stopping
 Start treatment treatment manually
 Stopping treatment
automatically
 After treatment
 Duration And Intensity Of Current
 Faraday’s law.
 The time for iontophoresis ideally is 1 minute for
the increasing phase and 30 seconds for the
decreasing phase. The intensity of the current used
is between 40 mA and 10 mA regulated with a
25000 ohm potentiometer. Currents ranging from 5
to 10 mA have been found to be painless. The
intensity of current should not exceed 0.5 to 1mA /
cm2 for large electrodes.
 Effects Of Current On The Body
 In the Frequency range of 10-200 Hz, the body
is most susceptible to the effects of current.
 To the exposed healthy canine heart, currents
as low as 20 mA ( 60 Hz rms) can cause
fibrillation .
 Current greater than 2A can cause temporary
cardiac arrest and paralysis.
 Current greater than 6A can cause cardiac
arrest, paralysis and deep burns.
 Optimising Iontophoretic
Transport
Variation in applied current density
and area of application
pH optimization
Cleaning of skin area
Contraindications for lontophoresis
 Contraindications for iontophoresis are
important in patients with higher susceptibility
to applied currents. Such patients include
those carrying electrically- sensitive implanted
devices such as cardiac pacemakers, those
who are hypersensitive to the drug to be
applied, or those with broken or damaged
skin surfaces.
In-vitro Evaluation
 In-vivo Evaluation
Morimoto et al. (1992) described an in-vivo
iontophoretic system used in rats for transdermal
iontophoretic delivery of vasopressin and analogue
in rats. A hypotonic solution was administered
through the femoral catheter as a constant infusion.
Two cylindrical polyethylene cells were attached
to the abdominal skin of the rat. A pair of Ag/AgCI
electrodes was immersed in the solutions, the
anode being in the drug solution and thej;athode in
the 0.9% w/v NaCl solution. The electrodes were
connected to a constant current power sourcfe.
 CONCLUSION:
 Iontophoresis involves delivery of selected ions into tissues by
passing a direct electrical current through a medicated solution
and the patient.
 This method of drug administration has many advantages
 Systemic side effects of drugs are significantly decreased because
only minute amounts of drugs are delivered, while a relatively
high drug concentration is administered locally where it should
achieve the maximum benefit.
 Patient acceptance is generally excellent and fear of injection is
eliminated. Thus, iontophoretic transdermal delivery has the
potential of improving the quality of drug therapy compared to
conventional methods of oral drug administration or bolus
intravenous injection because it can minimize dosage while
maintaining a constant therapeutic level by continuous drug input.
 Scope For Future Work
1. Development of an ideal membrane, and an
animal model.
2. Development of a foolproof method of measuring
skin resistance, and feedback of the electrical
parameters to the device being used, which can
adjust the drug delivery rate accordingly.
3. Miniaturization and cost-reduction of the device.
4. Mathematical models to extrapolate the results of
animal experiments to clinical situations.