Transdermal delivery of Adenosine and Eosin Y using microplasma combined with FeSO4 and DMSO iontophoresis

One of the main roles of transdermal drug delivery is to overcome stratum corneum; the first barrier of the skin. We combined several types of treatments to investigate their effect on skin permeability and drug absorption. Franz diffusion cell was used to investigate the permeation and retention of adenosine through Yucatan micropig’s skin. The amount of the penetrated drug and the drug retained inside the skin was measured by HPLC. We compared adenosine permeation through the untreated skin, iontophoretically pre-treated skin with FeSO4∙7H2O in DMSO followed by microplasma treatment, iontophoretically pre-treated skin with FeSO4∙7H2O in water followed by microplasma treatment, and treated skin with DMSO. Eosin Y dye was used to analyze depth of the penetration after the treatment. Depth of penetration was displayed by microscopic observation and FE-SEM/EDS observation after skin sectioning. Absorption of eosin Y inside the skin measured by FE-SEM/EDS and optical microscope was consistent with absorption of adenosine measured by using Franz diffusion cell and HPLC. Iontophoretic pre-treatment followed by plasma treatment caused increased drug absorption in stratum corneum and plasma treatment itself increased drug penetration through the epidermal layer of the skin.