Effects of Ionic Strength on Passive and Iontophoretic Transport of Cationic Permeant Across Human Nail

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

6-2009

Abstract

Purpose

Transport across the human nail under hydration can be modeled as hindered transport across aqueous pore pathways. As such, nail permselectivity to charged species can be manipulated by changing the ionic strength of the system in transungual delivery to treat nail diseases. The present study investigated the effects of ionic strength upon transungual passive and iontophoretic transport.

Methods

Transungual passive and anodal iontophoretic transport experiments of tetraethylammonium ion (TEA) were conducted under symmetric conditions in which the donor and receiver had the same ionic strength in vitro. Experiments under asymmetric conditions were performed to mimic the in vivoconditions. Prior to the transport studies, TEA uptake studies were performed to assess the partitioning of TEA into the nail.

Results

Permselectivity towards TEA was inversely related to ionic strength in both passive and iontophoretic transport. The permeability and transference number of TEA were higher at lower ionic strengths under the symmetric conditions due to increased partitioning of TEA into the nail. Transferencenumbers were smaller under the asymmetric conditions compared with their symmetric counterparts.

Conclusions

The results demonstrate significant ionic strength effects upon the partitioning and transport of a cationic permeant in transungual transport, which may be instrumental in the development of transungual delivery systems.

Comments

The Version of Record is available from the publisher at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007%2Fs11095-009-9854-x.

Copyright © 2009 Springer Science + Business Media, LLC

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