Magnetophoresis and Electret-Mediated Transdermal Delivery of Drugs

Skin is the largest organ of the body forming a protective covering over underlying tissues and organs. The application of medicaments to skin for therapeutic application was not popular as skin was largely believed to be impermeable. In the later years, topical application of medicament metamorphosed to a more perceptive therapy for treating local skin ailments. This chapter discusses the two emerging technologies for enhancement of transdermal drug permeation: magnetophoresis and electret-mediated transdermal delivery of drugs. Physical approaches to permeation enhancement render improved transdermal permeation by the application of an external energy source that can bring about a reversible disruption of the SC barrier or exert a driving force on the drug molecules for active transdermal drug delivery enhancement. The application of magnetophoresis as a physical enhancement strategy for transdermal drug delivery is a novel and interesting prospect. Electret-mediated cutaneous drug delivery is currently at an embryonic stage of development.