ABSTRACT

References .......................................................................................................................... 336

Electroporation can be defined as an electrical enhancement strategy whereby relatively high

voltages are applied to the skin for very brief periods in order to create temporarily aqueous

pores within the membrane. These apertures provide pathways for molecular penetration

through the skin. Its potential for increasing the transdermal delivery of molecules was first

demonstrated in the 1990s [1] and since then the technique has been combined with other

enhancement strategies to examine if penetration of dermally absorbed drugs can be further

increased, e.g., estradiol [2] or to broaden the range of candidate drugs, which may be

delivered by this route, e.g., insulin [3]. This chapter will examine a number of recent reports,

which combined electroporation and chemical penetration enhancement strategies, with a

particular emphasis on the use of lipids and lipid vesicles as suitable chemical adjuvants.