Iontophoretic delivery of model inorganic and drug ions

The in vitro delivery of the inorganic ions Li+, Na+, K+, Mg2+, and Ca2+, and the model organic ions pyridostigmine and propranolol through various types of excised skin was investigated using a constant current iontophoretic system. The drug delivery rate was found to be linearly dependent on current for each ion. The slope of this linear dependence is defined as the iontophoretic flux and was used to calculate the efficiency of drug delivery which was found to be virtually independent of the type of skin employed. However, the efficiency of drug delivery was affected by the anode material and drug counterion employed in the iontophoretic system. In addition, the efficiency of delivery for divalent magnesium and calcium ions was found to be less than half that observed for the monovalent sodium and potassium ions. The in vivo iontophoretic delivery of pyridostigmine using the domestic weanling pig is also reported. The in vivo results were found to be similar to those observed in vitro.