The Use of Iontophoresis in the Administration of Nicotine and New Non-Nicotine Drugs through the Skin for Smoking Cessation

Abstract

Cigarette smoking is the primary cause of lung cancer, cardiovascular diseases, reproductive disorders and delayed wound healing all over the world; as such, the goals of smoking cessation are both to reduce health risks and to improve quality of life. The development of novel and more effective medications for smoking cessation is crucial in the treatment of nicotine dependence. Currently, first-line smoking cessation therapies include nicotine replacement products and bupropion. The partial nicotinic receptor agonist, varenicline, has recently been approved by the FDA for smoking cessation. A newer product seeking approval by the FDA is nicotine vaccine. Clonidine and nortriptyline have demonstrated some efficacy, but side effects may limit their use to second-line treatment products. Other therapeutic drugs that are under development include rimonabant, mecamylamine, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, and dopamine D3 receptor antagonists. In order to increase the range of drugs available for transdermal delivery a number of chemical and physical enhancement techniques have been developed in an attempt to compromise skin barrier function in a reversible manner without concomitant skin irritation. The controlled delivery afforded by constant current iontophoresis, which involves the application of a small electrical potential sets it apart from other technologies. The amount of compound delivered is directly proportional to the quantity of charge passed; it depends on the applied current, the duration of current application and the area of the skin surface in contact with the active electrode compartment. For these reasons, iontophoresis will provide smokers with an additional option to assist in achieving smoking cessation.

Pharmacologic agents for smoking cessation: A clinical review

“…Escobar-Chavez and colleagues report that the controlled delivery of a chemical through the skin can be achieved by constant current iontophoresis 47. This involves the application of a small electrical potential and is unique to iontophoresis.…”

“…This involves the application of a small electrical potential and is unique to iontophoresis. The amount of compound delivered by iontophoresis is directly proportional to the quantity of charge passed, the current applied, the duration of current application, and the area of the skin surface in contact with the active electrode compartment 47. Melero and colleagues reported on results of their study on delivery of nortriptyline using iontophoresis 48.…”

Evaluation of Laser-Assisted Trans-Nail Drug Delivery with Optical Coherence Tomography

“…Strategies to bypass the tightly packed stratum corneum, the rate-limiting step in transdermal drug penetration, will facilitate topical medication delivery deep into the skin. Several methods have been developed to improve transdermal drug delivery, including chemical enhancers [9,10], nanocarriers [11,12], microneedles [13,14], sonophoresis [15,16], and iontophoresis [17,18]. The biocompatibility and biotoxicity of chemical enhancers and nanocarriers are important issues.…”

Nanocarrier Systems for Transdermal Drug Delivery

“…Improvement in physical permeationenhancement technologies has led to renewed interest in transdermal drug delivery. Some of these novel advanced transdermal permeation enhancement technologies include: iontophoresis, electroporation, ultrasound, microneedles to open up the skin and more recently the use of transdermal nanocarriers [3,[7][8][9][10].A number of excellent reviews that have been published contain detailed discussions concerning many aspects of transdermal nanocarriers [11][12][13][14][15][16][17]. The present chapter shows an updated overview of the use of submicron particles and other nanostructures in the pharmaceutical field, specifically in the area of topical and transdermal drugs.…”

“…Improvement in physical permeationenhancement technologies has led to renewed interest in transdermal drug delivery. Some of these novel advanced transdermal permeation enhancement technologies include: iontophoresis, electroporation, ultrasound, microneedles to open up the skin and more recently the use of transdermal nanocarriers [3,[7][8][9][10].…”