Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 21, 2025
08:19
Hollow Microneedle-based Sensor for Multiplexed Transdermal Electrochemical Sensing
Published on: June 1, 2012
14.4K
Ambient Moisture-Driven Self-Powered Iontophoresis Patch for Enhanced Transdermal Drug Delivery
Zhenyou Ge1,2, Wenshang Guo1,2, Ye Tao1,2
1State Key Laboratory of Robotics and System, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150001, China.
Advanced Healthcare Materials
|July 12, 2024
Summary
This study introduces a self-powered wearable patch for transdermal drug delivery (TDD). It uses ambient humidity to power iontophoretic patches, enhancing drug penetration without external power sources.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Biomedical Engineering
- Energy Harvesting
Background:
- Conventional iontophoretic transdermal drug delivery (TDD) devices often require external power and wired connections, limiting patient comfort.
- Existing TDD systems can be cumbersome, hindering long-term wearability and patient compliance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a self-powered, wearable transdermal iontophoretic patch (TIP) for enhanced drug delivery.
- To utilize ambient humidity for energy generation, eliminating the need for external power sources and mechanical components.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of a transdermal iontophoretic patch (TIP) powered by moist-electric generators (MEGs) that harvest ambient humidity.
- Integration of a MEG array as the power source for the TDD circuit.
- Experimental and simulation-based validation of the TIP's performance and drug penetration enhancement.
Main Results:
- A single MEG unit generated 0.80 V open-circuit voltage and 11.65 µA short-circuit current at 80% relative humidity.
- The wearable TIP demonstrated a threefold increase in drug penetration depth after 20 minutes of application.
- Electrical output amplification was achieved by series and parallel connections of MEG units.
Conclusions:
- The developed wearable TIP offers a simple, noninvasive, and self-powered solution for controlled transdermal drug delivery.
- Harvesting ambient humidity via MEGs provides a viable power source for wearable TDD devices, improving patient comfort and usability.
- The TIP effectively enhances the transdermal delivery of ionized drugs, validated through experimental and simulation studies.
Related Concept Videos
01:17Pore Transport and Ion-Pair Transport
413
Pore transport and ion-pair formation are critical mechanisms for the absorption and distribution of drugs in the body.
Pore transport, also known as convective transport, is a process where small molecules like urea, water, and sugars rapidly cross cell membranes as though there were channels or pores in the membrane. Although direct microscopic evidence is limited but the concept of pores or channels is widely accepted based on physiological evidence. Despite the lack of direct...
Pore transport, also known as convective transport, is a process where small molecules like urea, water, and sugars rapidly cross cell membranes as though there were channels or pores in the membrane. Although direct microscopic evidence is limited but the concept of pores or channels is widely accepted based on physiological evidence. Despite the lack of direct...
413
01:22Drug Delivery: Miscellaneous Routes
336
Drug delivery methods like oral inhalation, nasal sprays, transdermal patches, eye drops, intravitreal injection, and rectal administration provide localized effects with reduced toxicity.
Oral inhalation and nasal sprays swiftly transfer drugs across the respiratory epithelium's mucosal layer. Inhaled glucocorticoids and bronchodilators directly target lung conditions such as asthma, while fluticasone nasal spray mitigates allergic rhinitis.
Transdermal patches transport drugs...
Oral inhalation and nasal sprays swiftly transfer drugs across the respiratory epithelium's mucosal layer. Inhaled glucocorticoids and bronchodilators directly target lung conditions such as asthma, while fluticasone nasal spray mitigates allergic rhinitis.
Transdermal patches transport drugs...
336
01:18Patch Clamp
5.4K
Many fundamental cell functions such as muscle contraction and nerve transmission rely on the electrical signals produced by the movement of positively and negatively charged ions across the cell membrane. One competent method to record current flowing across the whole cell or single ion channel is the patch-clamp technique.
In this method, a glass micropipette containing electrolyte solution is tightly sealed against a small portion of the cell membrane. As a result, a patch of the cell...
In this method, a glass micropipette containing electrolyte solution is tightly sealed against a small portion of the cell membrane. As a result, a patch of the cell...
5.4K
01:15Non-Oral Extravascular Drug Absorption Routes
209
Non-oral extravascular routes, which encompass sublingual, buccal, topical, intramuscular, and inhalation methods, primarily utilize passive diffusion to transport drugs into the systemic circulation. The absorption rates and effectiveness of these routes depend on the drug's physicochemical properties, as well as the patient's anatomical and pathophysiological state.
Lipophilic drugs that are stable at salivary pH (6) and exhibit minimal binding to the oral mucosa are absorbed more...
Lipophilic drugs that are stable at salivary pH (6) and exhibit minimal binding to the oral mucosa are absorbed more...
209
01:15Potentiometry: Membrane Electrodes
547
Membrane electrodes, also known as p-ion electrodes, use membranes that selectively interact with free analyte ions, generating a potential difference across the membrane. The resulting membrane potential, known as the asymmetry potential, is not zero even when analyte concentrations on both sides of the membrane are equal. The membrane's response is typically not selective to a single analyte but proportional to the concentration of all ions in the sample solution capable of interacting at...
547