Abstract
A mathematical model for predicting the plasma concentration profile of a drug following iontophoretic transdermal delivery has been developed. The effects of various factors in the delivery system design and the physicochemical properties of drugs on the permeation profile were simulated by solving the dynamic mathematical model for iontophoresis. The calculated results indicated that iontophoretically facilitated transdermal delivery is particularly effective for large molecules such as proteins and peptides which are usually ionized and penetrate the skin with great difficulty by conventional passive diffusion. The present model well described in vitro experimental data of iontophoretically facilitated transdermal delivery of a polypeptide. The model can be used to understand the quantitative effects of the mode of current application on the dynamics of the iontophoretic transdermal drug delivery.
