Iontophoresis: mechanism of action studied by potentiometry and x-ray fluorescence

Physiotherapists often apply electrotherapeutic treatments to the knees with sponges impregnated with potassium iodide (KI). To study the fate of iodine applied in this way, the amount of iodide (I-) that penetrates the skin was determined using an iodide-selective electrode. The I- uptake was shown to take place only when galvanic current was applied. Iontophoresis did not result in superficial migration of the applied ions on the skin from one pole to the other, but led to penetration into the skin. The hyperemia, which occurs at the zone of application during iontophoresis, did not affect the uptake of subsequent treatments. Only very slight differences in uptake were observed for each patient with sequential application, whereas the interindividual differences were more pronounced. Combined evidence from all experiments suggested that about 10% of the applied KI had penetrated the skin. X-ray fluorescence scans of the volunteers' thyroid gland, before and after a series of 10 iontophoretic treatments, to establish whether I- was taken up by the thyroid, showed that the average iodine content of the gland was increased by more than 30%.