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Updated: Aug 19, 2026

Microiontophoresis and Micromanipulation for Intravital Fluorescence Imaging of the Microcirculation
Published on: June 10, 2011
Modeling Perfusion Dynamics in the Skin During Iontophoresis of Vasoactive Drugs Using Single-Pulse and
Fredrik Iredahl1, Veeranjaneyulu Sadda1, Liam J Ward1
1Department of Hand and Plastic Surgery, Burns and Intensive care and Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.
Objective:
After iontophoresis of vasoactive drugs into the skin, a decrease in perfusion is commonly observed. We delivered vaso-active drugs by iontophoresis using different delivery protocols to study how these affect this decrease in perfusion as measured using LDF.
Methods:
We measured skin perfusion during iontophoresis of (ACh), MCh, and NA using a single pulse or separate pulses at different skin sites, and during repeated delivery of ACh at the same site.
Results:
Perfusion half-life was 6.1 (5.6-6.6) minutes for ACh and 41 (29-69) minutes for MCh (p < 0.001). The maximum response with multiple pulses of ACh iontophoresis was lower than with a single pulse, 30 (22-37) PU vs. 43 (36-50) PU, p < 0.001. Vasoconstriction to NA was more rapid with a single pulse than with multiple pulses. The perfusion half-life of ACh decreased with repeated delivery of ACh at the same site-first 16 (14-18), second 5.9 (5.1-6-9) and third 3.2 (2.9-3.5) minutes, p < 0.001.
Conclusions:
The drug delivery protocol affects microvascular responses to iontophoresis, possibly as a result of differences in the dynamics of local drug concentrations. Perfusion half-life may be used as a measure to quantify the rate of perfusion recovery after iontophoresis of vasoactive drugs.
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