ABSTRACT
Acknowledgment................................................................................................................ 297
References .......................................................................................................................... 297
Iontophoresis enhances drug transport across biological membranes by the application of a
small electric field (for example, transdermal iontophoresis usually applies 0.1-0.5 mA,
which, given skin’s typical resistance, requires a voltage of less than 10 V). Because of its
efficiency, safety, and potential to control transport across biological barriers, iontophoresis
has been widely investigated, for example, for the administration of local anesthetics in
dentistry [1,2], for drug delivery to the eye in ophthalmology [3-5], and mainly, for transder-
mal drug delivery and noninvasive monitoring via the skin [6,7]. Despite the advantages of
passive transdermal drug delivery, the approach remains limited to a few drugs having
adeq uate pharmac okineti c, pharmac odyn amic, and physicoche mica l propert ies [8,9]. This
can be princi pally ascribed to the extra ordinar y barrier propert ies of the skin. Only poten t,
smal l, and lipophi lic dru gs a re cu rrently market ed as trans dermal patches . The developm ent
of iontophore sis (a method know n for over 100 years) as a modern drug delivery techni que
has expand ed the range of drugs that can be efficie ntly de livered through and into the skin.
